Flora of New Zealand Series

≡L. cinereus Burcham, U.S. Natl Herb. Contrib. 30: 424 (1948); 

Holotype: US n.v., Burcham 169 Russell Island, Pavuru (fide Burcham 1948 op. cit.).

Semiprostrate perennial, forming mats with long trailing stolons rooting at nodes; branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath coriaceous, very finely scabrid between ribs, sometimes with a few scattered long fine hairs. Ligule c. 0.5 mm, membranous, minutely ciliate. Collar finely scabrid. Leaf-blade 2-6 cm × 2-6 mm, lanceolate, coriaceous, glaucous, abaxially smooth, but scabrid near acute tip, adaxially scabrid; margins scabrid. Culm erect, rigid, internodes glabrous. Racemes borne singly at tips of lateral branches, 3.5-7 cm × c. 3 mm, cylindric; rachis fragile, with numerous, fine, finely scabrid nerves. Spikelets 5-7 mm, the single floret embedded in the rachis and concealed by the upper glume. Glumes coriaceous, lanceolate, scabrid above, tapered to acute tip; lower 0 except on uppermost spikelet, upper > spikelet and exceeding the rachis cavity, 7-nerved. Lemma c. 3 mm, 3-nerved, firmly membranous, oblong-lanceolate, glabrous below, usually hairy in upper ½. Palea ≈ lemma, keels minutely ciliate, interkeel minutely pubescent. Lodicules oblong, denticulate, distally fleshy. Rachilla prolongation c. ⅓ length of lemma, minutely ciliate. Anthers c. 1.2 mm. Caryopsis not seen. Fig. 20.

K.: North Chanter Islet (Herald Islets). Confined to a small area of lava rock a few metres above high tide level in open ground in petrel colonies on coralline soil in small pockets among coral outcrops.

Indigenous.

Also indigenous to islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Sykes, W. R. N.Z. DSIR Bull. 219: 171 (1977) regarded L. repens as indigenous to Kermadec Is "because it was collected on the remote North Chanter Islet, rarely visited by man before 1966". Sykes, W. R. and West, C. J. N.Z. J. Bot. 34: 447-461 referred the Kermadec Is plant to L. repens var. cinereus because of its semiprostrate habit.

Fig. 20 Lepturus repensvar.cinereus S, spikelet on portion of raceme-rachis, × 12; G, glume, × 25; L, lemma dorsal and ventral view, × 16; P, palea dorsal view, × 16; Lo, lodicules, × 40; O, ovary, styles appearing between (St) stamens, × 40. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X7P]