Flora of New Zealand Series

slim snow-tussock

; Holotype: CHR 950215b! H. E. Connor Starvation Gully, Porters Pass, 2900 ft, 8.1.1954.

Tussock of modest stature with persistent sheaths and soft leaf-blades weathering in situ. Leaf-sheath to 15 cm, dark brown below lighter above, persistent, interrib hairs minute or short, apical tuft of hairs to 2 mm. Ligule to 0.6 mm. Leaf-blade to 60 cm × 5 mm, flat or shallowly U-shaped, persistent, abaxially glabrous except for prickle-teeth towards apex and occasionally some long hairs towards base, adaxially with rows of short hairs at base, abundant prickle-teeth; margin with long hairs below, prickle-teeth above. Culm to 60 cm, glabrous, or sheath and internode long hairy, sometimes empurpled. Inflorescence to 25 cm, open, pulvinate, glabrous except for few long hairs at branch axils and some hairs occasionally below spikelet. Spikelet of up to 7 florets. Glumes subequal, to 13 mm, glabrous, acute or occasionally bifid or mucronate, > adjacent lemma lobes; lower 3-nerved, upper 5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; hairs dense at margin and aside central nerve, shorter in other internerves or rarely absent, > sinus; lateral lobes to 7.5 mm including 3 mm awn, infrequently long triangular-acute; central awn to 12 mm from twisting column to 3.5 mm. Palea to 7.5 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm. Lodicules to 1 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Gynoecium: ovary to 1 mm; stigma-styles to 3 mm. Caryopsis to 3.25 mm. 2 n = 42. Plate 9B.

S.: east of Main Divide from southern Marlborough to Southland. Grasslands 500-1700 m; at lower altitudes present on shaded aspects of rolling terrain.

Endemic.

Apart from short stature, and frequent evidence of grazing, the long awn column is distinctive. Culm-sheaths and internodes are rarely long hairy south of Rakaia River.

Some specimens from high altitudes matching C. macra in vegetative characters but with elongate, fine, leaf-blades with twisting tips and long abaxial hairs are C. oreophila × C. macra.