Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Danthonia raoulii var. cheesemanii Hack. in Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Fl. 887  (1906)

≡D. flavescens var. cheesemanii (Hack.) Zotov, T.R.S.N.Z. 73: 234 (1943); 

Holotype: AK 1633! T. F. C[heeseman] forest at the source of the Takaka River, Nelson, alt. 3000 ft, Jan 1881 (No 1250 to Hackel).

Tall tussock with dark green, persistent, scabrid leaves on brown, hairy sheaths. Leaf-sheath to 20 cm, entire, persistent, becoming fibrous, abundant deciduous hairs to 4 mm between nerves, on margins and at apex. Ligule to 1 mm. Leaf-blade to 80 cm × 4 mm, flat or folded, many ribs, persistent, abaxially with abundant prickle-teeth above, very occasionally with long hairs below, adaxially glabrous; margin with long hairs below soon becoming very scabrid. Culm to 2 m, internodes glabrous or with dense short hairs below nodes. Inflorescence to 35 cm; rachis and pedicels short stiff hairy, but rachis sometimes glabrous in North Id plants. Spikelets of up to 6 distant florets. Glumes hyaline, scabrid, often bifid at apex, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 7 mm, 1-nerved, upper to 10 mm, 3-5-nerved. Lemma to 6 mm, scabrid especially above; hairs long at margin and usually aside central nerve but absent or fewer elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 3 mm, scabrid, triangular or shortly awned; central awn to 15 mm reflexed from 1 mm flat or infrequently twisting column. Palea to 6.5 mm, ≈ lemma, interkeels with prickle-teeth above and often short hairs below. Callus to 1.5 mm, hairs to 4 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm, occasionally short stiff hairy. Lodicules to 1.5 mm. Anthers to 4.5 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 0.75 mm; stigma-styles to 2 mm. Caryopsis to 3 mm. 2 n = 42.

N.: Lake Waikaremoana, Ruahine Range, and mountain ranges in southern Wellington; S.: Nelson and northern Marlborough, Kaikoura Mountains. Beech forests, and grasslands; 900 to 1225 m but to 1500 m in Marlborough.

Endemic.