Flora of New Zealand Series

Fuirena rubiginosa Spreng. Fl. hal. Mant.  1,  1807,  29.

Cladium glomeratum R.Br. Prodr.  1810,  237.

Cladium rubiginosum (Spreng.) Domin in Bibl. bot., Stuttgart  85,  1915,  476.

Machaerina rubiginosa (Spreng.) Koyama in J. Fac. Sci. Tokyo Univ. (Bot.)  8,  1961,  122.

Type: ?. Recorded also from Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and S.E. Asia.

Rhizome 2–4 mm. diam., fibrous, covered with a loose coat of closely imbricating papery scales. Culms 30–90 cm. × 1–2.5 mm., terete, soft, light blue-green. Lower Ivs reduced to grey-brown, membr., mucronate sheaths; upper Ivs 1–3, terete like the culms, < or ± = culms, internally septate, tips subulate, acute. Panicle 6–18–(35) cm. long, rounded at the tip, interrupted, with branchlets in distant fascicles, stoutest lateral branchlet arising from lowest spathaceous bract c. 1 mm. diam.; bracts subtending upper fascicles acuminate, membr., red-brown. Spikelets (4.5)–5–6 mm. long, clustered, red-brown, 2–3–(4)-fld, 1 or occ. 2 fls fertile. Glumes 4–5, ovate, acuminate, membr., streaked with red, margins ciliate, scabrid towards the tip and on the keel. Nut 3–4 × c. 1.5 mm., elliptic-oblong, pale- or orange-yellow, smooth, trigonous while immature; beak small, grey or black, acute, trigonous, puberulous.

DIST.: N. Throughout. S. Less common; Nelson, Westland, Southland, rare in Marlborough and Canterbury. St., Ch.

Swampy places and lake margins, sea level to 900 m. altitude.

Cladium glomeratum R.Br. forma major Kük. ex Carse in T.N.Z.I. 48, 1916, 240 is described as "foliis crassioribus, inflorescentia longiore, habitu elatiore. . . . In wet places, Kaitaia and Tauroa; not common." There are specimens at K, AK, CHR and CANTY collected by Carse from different localities in Northland and labelled forma major, but CANTY 2939 "Edge of swamp, Waikawa, nr Kaitaia" H. Carse, 22/12/1914, is the only specimen collected before the name forma major was published. A recent specimen, CHR 149580, Mt Rex, Helensville, L. B. Moore, 27/10/1964, is stouter than normal B. rubiginosa and has larger infls; it matches Carse's specimens in size and the infl. is even more dense. No other specimens of comparable size have been seen.

Immature specimens of B. rubiginosa with the nut still white and not fully developed, may be difficult to distinguish from B. huttonii. B. rubiginosa is stouter, with the spikelets more densely clustered than in the more slender B. huttonii.