Flora of New Zealand Series

creeping fog

Strongly rhizomatous, dull bluish green perennials, 15-100 cm, forming loose swards. Leaf-sheath chartaceous, striate, glabrous or shortly pubescent with some longer hairs. Ligule 1-3 mm, ± truncate, denticulate, abaxially shortly pubescent. Leaf-blade 5-17 cm × 2-9 mm, rather stiff, shortly pubescent-scabrid, sometimes with scattered longer hairs or almost glabrous; margins minutely scabrid, tip acute. Culm erect or spreading, often decumbent, nodes loosely to densely bearded, internodes glabrous. Panicle (1)-4-10-(16) × (0.5)-1-2 cm, narrow-oblong or lanceolate, dense to rather lax, erect; rachis with ± sparse minute hairs, branches and very slender pedicels with slightly longer hairs. Spikelets 4-5.8 mm, whitish green, sometimes purplish. Glumes shortly stiff-ciliate on keel, minutely scabrid elsewhere, acute to acuminate; lower slightly shorter, narrow-lanceolate, upper elliptic-lanceolate with strong lateral nerves. Lemma 1-2.5 mm, elliptic- to ovate-lanceolate, with a few prickle-teeth on and near keel or scattered above, otherwise glabrous, ± shining, margins minutely ciliate-scabrid; lower lemma awnless, upper lemma with slightly curved awn, 3-5 mm, inserted c. 0.5 mm below lemma apex, sometimes twisted near base. Palea keels short-ciliate, apex obtusely lobed, short-ciliate. Callus hairs 0.2-0.3 mm, or callus of lower floret glabrous. Rachilla sparsely soft-hairy, hairs to 0.6 mm. Anthers (1)-1.5-2.2 mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.7 mm.

S.: eastern areas and to the west from Arthur's Pass southwards, rare in Marlborough; St.; Ch. Roadsides, waste land and pasture; sea level to montane.

Naturalised from Europe.

HYBRIDS

Carroll, C. P. and Jones, K. New Phytol. 61: 72-84 (1962) gave a tentative list of some diagnostic features for identification of hybrids H. lanatus × H. mollis. For the most part the hybrids resemble H. mollis but generally have shrunken indehiscent anthers, and awns somewhat shorter than is usual in H. mollis; glumes may be ± pilose, somewhat obtuse with a slightly exserted awn. Occasional hybrid plants may resemble H. lanatus but be weakly rhizomatous. Specimens which are apparently sterile and may be the hybrid H. lanatus × H. mollis have been noted among N.Z. collections, e.g., CHR 107032 R. Mason & N. T. Moar 5287 West of Rimu, Westland, 15.2.1958; CHR 174277 A. J. Healy 67/11 Ashley State Forest, near airfield, 23.1.1967; CHR 183917 W. R. B[oyce] Port Hills [Christchurch], 16.2.1939; CHR 234610 A. J. Healy 73/37 near Morven, South Canterbury, 10.2.1973.