Flora of New Zealand Series

Vincentia anceps Hook. f. Fl. N.Z.  1,  1853,  276 

non (Poir.) Kunth Enum. Pl. 2, 1837, 315.

Cladium sinclairii Hook. f. Handbk N.Z.  Fl.  1864,  305.

Cladium gahnoides Col. in T.N.Z.I.  16,  1884,  340.

Vincentia sinclairii (Hook. f.) Hamlin in Tuatara  6,  1956,  36.

Original localities: "Northern Island; marshes, not uncommon. East Coast and interior, Banks and Solander, Colenso. Auckland, Sinclair." Lectotype: K, Tangoio, Hawke's Bay, Colenso 1148. Also in Malaysia.

Large lfy clumps. Culms 50–100–(120) cm. × 3–5 mm., smooth, laterally compressed. Lvs 30–150 × 1–2–(3) cm., flat, pale green, tapering to an acuminate tip, margins smooth. Panicle 15–35 cm. long, drooping, much-branched; lowermost sheathing bract with ciliate mouth and lamina up to 3 cm long; branches in fascicles from upper sheaths. Spikelets , 3–4 mm. long in small fascicles towards the tips of the branchlets, red-brown, 2–3–(4)-fld, us. lowest 1–2 fls fertile. Glumes 5–7, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate to almost awned, scabrid-pubescent, lower 2–3 sterile. Hypog. bristles 0. Stamens elongating after flowering, filaments bright red-brown. Nut, including beak, 2–2.5 mm. long, < 1 mm. wide, acutely trigonous, almost alate, fusiform, brown, narrowed above and below to a 3-angled beak and stipe each c. = body of nut in length.

DIST.: N. From North Cape southwards to lat. 40º, further south in the Tararuas.

On damp rock faces, stony cliffs and roadside banks, sea level to 450 m. altitude.

FL. 10–11. FT 12–1.

Cladium gahnoides Col. was based on Specimens from "Cliffy banks of the upper part of the Petane River, near Napier, on high and dry stony ridges, and on similar spots inland between Hawke's Bay and Taupo, 1846–1852: W.C. Petane Valley, 1881: Mr A. Hamilton." It was described as "closely allied to C. sinclairii Hook. fil., but smaller in all its parts". The lectotype, WELT, 24307, "Petane, Banks of Upper River," A. Hamilton, 1881, is well within the size range for Machaerina sinclairii, isotype at AK.