Flora of New Zealand Series

S. antipodum Graeb. in Pflanzenr. 2, 1900, 18, fig. 4B.

Maru, Burr-reed.

Type locality: Bay of Islands. Type: GH, U.S. Exploring Expedition under Command of Capt. Wilkes.

Plants to c. 70 cm. tall. Rhizome long, slender. Lvs mostly from base c. 30–100 × 1 cm., ± erect; sheathing base channelled; lamina ± keeled, subrhomboid in T.S.; longitudinal nerves obvious; incomplete cross walls occ., thick, green; tip obtuse. Peduncle c. 2 mm. diam., us. shorter than lvs; lower bracts long, foliaceous. Infl. simple to few-branched; main axis with 1–3 female capitula near base, followed by up to 10 male capitula; lateral axes often with only male, but sts with 1–2 female capitula below; capitula sessile and either strictly axillary or without bracts. Fls white. Male capitula c. 1 cm. diam., fls ∞; stamens c. 3 mm. long, filaments much > per.; anthers 2–3 times as long as broad. Female capitula to 1.5 cm. diam., fls c. 60; per.-scales 4–8, the inner ones smaller; ovary c. 4 mm. long, narrow-fusiform; style short; stigma oval, c. ½ style-length. Fr. c. 6 × 3 mm., sessile, obovoid.

DIST.: N., S. In S. known only from north and west and as far south as c. lat. 42º, except for two very old Canterbury records (Methven, Gaze, and Pegasus Bay, Armstrong).

Also in Australia.

Watery places.

FL. 11–3. FT. 1–4.

S. antipodum as first mentioned by Graebner as "das Neuseelandische Sp. antipodum (indescr.)" in 1898 (Allg. bot. Zeitschr. 4, 33) and was formally described and figured in 1900 with references both to N.Z. and to Victorian material; the latter had been described and figured by Mueller (Vict. Nat. Melb. 10, 1894, 195–196) under S. angustifolia R. Br. non Michx.