Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 175630! J. Wells & A. F. Mark Omarama Saddle, Central Otago, 5500', occasional in snow tussock grassland, 9.1.1967.

Small, compact, light green perennial tufts, to c. 15 cm; branching intravaginal, sometimes extravaginal at plant base; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light creamy brown to reddish purple, membranous, ribbed, smooth or papillose above, especially on keel. Ligule 0.5-1 mm, apically glabrous, centrally tapered, erose, abaxially ciliate. Leaf-blade 1-3.5 cm × 1-2 mm, flat, subcoriaceous, abaxially smooth, adaxially minutely scabrid; margins densely, finely scabrid, tip curved. Culm 2-10 cm, slender, purplish, usually with one short cauline leaf; internodes smooth or slightly scabrid below panicle. Panicle (1)-2-4.5-(7) cm, open; rachis slender, finely, sparsely scabrid, branches few, filiform, finely scabrid, tipped by 1-2 relatively large, ovate spikelets. Spikelets 3-4.5 mm, 3-5-flowered, purplish green. Glumes subequal, 1.5-2 mm, with wide hyaline margins, scabrid on midnerve; lower 1-3-nerved, ovate-elliptic, acute, upper 3-nerved, ovate, obtuse, often scabrid on lateral nerves and on internerves near tip and margin. Lemma 2-2.5 mm, 5-7-nerved, ovate, obtuse, minutely hairy in lower ½, scabrid above with midnerve closely distinctly scabrid; margins hyaline, very wide. Palea 1.5-2 mm, keels scabrid, interkeel with minute hairs and flanks with a few hairs. Callus with a few wispy hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Lodicules c. 0.2 mm. Anthers 0.3-0.6 mm. Gynoecium: ovary 0.5 mm; stigma-styles c. 1 mm. Caryopsis c. 1-1.5 × 0.5 mm.

S.: Shingle Range, Upper Awatere, Marlborough and in mountains of Central and west Otago. Subalpine to alpine in snow tussock grassland, on rock, and river flats.

Endemic.

The lemmas are devoid of hair in the upper part, distinguishing this sp. from the closely related P. lindsayi.