Flora of New Zealand Series

G. robusta Kirk in T.N.Z.I.  26,  1894,  261.

G. rigida Kirk var. robusta (Kirk) Benl in Bot. Arch. 40, 1940, 206.

Type locality: Totara, Westland. Lectotype: WELT, 21427, Kirk, 30/1/1877.

In dense robust tussocks, 60–200 cm. high from a very stout woody rootstock. Culms 4–6 mm. diam. Lvs up to 300 cm. long; sheaths dull pinkish brown, open, up to 5 cm. wide at base; lamina very harsh, scabrid right across the abaxial surface, margins strongly involute when dry, scabrid; lamina when dry becoming undulate for some distance above the transverse line demarcating sheath from lamina. Panicle rigid, 18–75 × c. 6 cm., with erect, stiff branchlets, primary branchlets up to 25 cm. long. Spikelets 2-fld, 6–7 mm. long, stalked, light chestnut-brown to dark brown. Glumes 6–7; 3–4 outer glumes 6–7 mm. long, empty; 3 inner glumes enclosing fr., brown. Stamens 4–5. Style-branches (2)–3–4. Nut 3.5–4 × 1.5–2 mm., elliptic-obovoid, us. light red-brown with a band of darker brown round the centre, or the upper half dark brown, occ. dark brown at base and tip and then almost black at the centre, tipped with a small scabrid point; endocarp transversely grooved within.

DIST.: N. Known only from Mangaroa swamp, Wellington. S. Nelson and Westland.

Lowland in swamps or pakihi.

FL 12–2.

G. robusta Kirk. Lectotype, WELT, 21417, Mungaroa, Wellington, T. Kirk, 1888. G. robusta was described as differing from G. rigida only in its larger size. Plants from Westland are equal to the type of G. robusta in size, but plants from Nelson are sts smaller and of the dimensions given for G. rigida.