Flora of New Zealand Series

Tufts (3)-5-20-(40) cm, whole plant often withering early and culms not breaking up below panicle. Leaf-sheath subhyaline, smooth, or often minutely scabrid above. Ligule (0.2)-0.5-3 mm, abaxially sparsely scabrid. Leaf-blade 1-8 cm × 1.5-3-(5) mm, flat, or sometimes involute and c. 0.5 mm diam. Culm (1)-4-14 cm. Panicle (2)-3-12 × 0.5-8.5 cm; branches slender, sparsely scabrid. Spikelets (2.5)-3-4-(6) mm. Glumes narrow elliptic-lanceolate, usually equal or the upper slightly shorter, acute to acuminate to shortly mucronate, 1-nerved. Lemma (1.5)-1.8-2.5 mm, oblong-ovate; awn 3-6 mm, geniculate, slightly twisted near base. Palea nerves 0.1-0.2 mm apart. Callus hairs to 0.5 mm. Rachilla prolongation 0.2-1 mm, with hair tuft 0.5-1.5 mm. Lodicules c. 0.7 mm. Anthers (0.3)-0.4-0.7-(1) mm. Caryopsis 1-1.5 × 0.4-0.7 mm.

N.: North and South Auckland on coast and offshore islands, scattered further south; S.: Nelson on western coast, Marlborough at Marfell Beach.; K., Three Kings Is, Ch. Coastal, in rock crevices.

Endemic.

Sykes, W. R. N.Z. DSIR Bull. 219: 170 (1977) noted that plants of Lachnagrostis from L'Esperance Id in Kermadec Is were larger and had wider leaves than plants from elsewhere in Kermadec Is. He referred the L'Esperance plants to L. pilosa (as L. richardii) but Edgar (1995 op. cit. p. 24) considered that all their floral characters were consistent with L. littoralis.