Flora of New Zealand Series

Original localities: "Owake Flat near Catlin's River (P. Goyen); Stewart Island; Buller Valley (T. F. Cheeseman)." Type: WELT, 2818, Buller Valley, Cheeseman.

Densely caespitose, dark green. Culms 40–75 cm. × 0.5–1 mm., trigonous, strongly scabrid above; basal bracts dull reddish brown. Lvs 3–6 per culm, < or = culm, 2–3 mm. wide, strongly scabrid on margins and upper surface; sheath and basal part of lamina us. reddish pink. Spike 6–10 cm. long, female fls c. 10, lax, internodes > mature utricles, 5–14 mm. long at base of spike, 2 mm. long above; spike often bracteate with lowermost glume lf-like or setose. Glumes much < utricles, persistent, coriac., obtuse or lowermost subacute, green with paler margins. Utricles (5)–6–8 × c. 1 mm., plano-convex or biconvex, fusiform, very faintly nerved, cuneate below forming a stipe c. 1.5 mm. long and tapered above to a beak c. 2 mm. long stipe and beak green, remainder very light grey.

DIST.: N. Throughout. S. As far south as Dunedin.

Forest to 750 m. altitude.

Although in his original description Petrie cited collections from Catlins R. and Stewart Id these are no longer represented in his herbarium at WELT. No further specimens have been collected south of Dunedin.