Flora of New Zealand Series

C. littorea Labill. Nov. Holl. Pl. Sp.  2,  1806,  69, t. 219.

C. pumila Thunb. subsp. littorea (Labill.) Kük. in Engl. Bot. Jb. 27, 1899, 551.

Type locality: Japan. Also recorded from China, Korea, Lord Howe Id, Australia, Tasmania and Chile.

Tufts rather coarse, from a long creeping rhizome of c. 2 mm. diam. Culms 5–20 cm. long, terete, smooth, cream or light green, almost entirely enclosed by light brown or cream, occ. red-brown lf-sheaths; us. almost buried in sand. Lvs > culms, up to 40 cm. long, 1.5–3 mm. wide, channelled, rigid, glaucous, curved and tapering to a fine point, margins quite smooth. Spikes 3–7–(8), ± approximate; terminal spike male, often long-pedunculate, very slender, often with 1–3 very small, occ. partly female, spikes at the base; remaining spikes female, often male at the top, 1–3.5 × c. 1 cm. Glumes c. ½ length of utricles, rarely only slightly < utricles, ovate, acute, red-brown, with broad colourless hyaline margins, midrib very pale brown, thickened, us. produced to a short awn. Utricles 6–7.5 × 2–3.5 mm., biconvex to subtrigonous, ovoid, light brown, thick, corky, turgid, smooth or faintly nerved, narrowed to a bifid beak, 1.5–2 mm. long, orifice membr., crura faintly scabrid at tip. Stigmas 3. Nut 2.5–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm., trigonous, obovoid, light brown, shortly mucronate.

DIST.: N. Throughout but rarely recorded between lat. 38º and 40º. S. Almost throughout, rare in Westland and not collected from Fiordland. Ch.

Coastal sands.

C. littorea Labill. is based on a Tasmanian type.

C. pumila var. macrocarpa Carse in T.N.Z.I. 48, 1916, 241 was described as "typo similis sed in omnibus partibus major. Foliae 5–8 dm. longae. Culmus 3–4 dm. altus. Spiculae 25–35 mm. longae. Utriculus longior et latior." It was based on plants "in damp hollows, among sand-dunes, Tauroa (Reef Point)"; WELT 21365, H. Carse, Jan., 1915 and CANTY (unnumbered) are the only two specimens found of this size.

Cheeseman in Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 277, notes that C. pumila is "Very distinct from any other New Zealand species. The long running rhizomes, glaucous keeled leaves, and large smooth and turgid utricles are conspicuous characters".