Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Agrostis striata Colenso, T.N.Z.I. 21: 107 (1889)

≡Deyeuxia forsteri var. humilior Hack. in Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Fl. 869  (1906) comb. illeg., varietal epithet legit.; 

Holotype: AK 199712! H. Hill (ex Herb. Colenso), "small mountainous Agrostis", Lake Waikaremoana, 3/[18]88.

Tufts perennial, usually fine-leaved and low-growing, 5-15-(40) cm; branching extravaginal. Leaf-sheath membranous, sparsely ribbed, smooth, rarely minutely scabrid, green to light brown. Ligule 1-3-(5.5) mm, ± oblong, sometimes slightly tapered, denticulate, abaxially sparsely prickle-toothed. Leaf-blade (1)-2-10 cm × 0.8-2 mm wide, usually folded and appearing narrower, abaxially smooth except near tip, adaxially scabrid on prominent ribs; margins scabrid, tip subobtuse. Culm 1.5-15-(30) cm, erect or ascending, longer culms often projecting beyond uppermost sheaths, internodes minutely, retrorsely scabrid. Panicle 2-10-(20) × 1.5-7-(12) cm, delicate, rather contracted at first, later lax; branches few, filiform, finely scabrid, tipped by 1-few spikelets. Spikelets (2)-2.2-3.5 mm, green to purplish. Glumes subequal, acute, scabrid on midnerve in upper ½ or almost throughout, hyaline margins with a very few prickle-teeth near tip; lower slightly longer, linear-lanceolate, upper elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 1.2-2-(2.3) mm, ⅔-¾ length of glumes, usually densely covered by stiff, straight hairs, ovate-oblong, truncate, lateral nerves scarcely excurrent; awn 0.2-2-(3) mm, straight, very fine, often purple, from upper ⅓ of lemma. Palea c. ⅔ to ≈ lemma, keels c. 0.1 mm apart, slightly excurrent, apex minutely bifid, sparsely prickle-toothed. Callus ringed with short hairs to c. 0.3 mm, c. ¼ length of lemma. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, tipped by equally long, or slightly longer hairs. Lodicules c. 0.3 mm, linear, acute. Anthers 0.2-0.5-(0.6) mm. Caryopsis 0.8-1.4 × 0.4-0.6 mm.

N.: scattered from Auckland south, common on Volcanic Plateau; S.: scattered to east of Main Divide, more common in Fiordland. Damp ground in tussock grassland, often on lake margins; lowland to subalpine.

Endemic.

In cultivation plants reach 30-55 cm with leaves to 2 mm wide; their florets match those of plants growing in the wild in all dimensions with awns remaining minute. The panicle, however, is longer with more numerous spikelets. Plants from central North Id growing on lake margins are similar in size to those in cultivation. They generally have a short lemma (slightly < 2 mm and covered with stiff hairs), a short, fine, straight awn, and minute anthers. However, the awns may be elongate and geniculate in mature panicles.

Although Hackel applied the name Deyeuxia forsteri var. humilior to small, densely tufted specimens of L. lyallii from Canterbury, the type specimen of Agrostis striata Colenso was cited in the protologue, hence var. humilior must be treated as a synonym of L. striata rather than L. lyallii.