Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Australian. Type: BM.

Tufted, grass-like, very variable in size. Stems (2)–7–60–(80) cm. × 0.5–1.5 mm. Lvs ∞, all basal, 2–8 mm. wide, us. < stem, solid, flat, non-septate, tapering very gradually from the base, tips slightly dilated, mucronate in young lvs; sheaths broad, without auricles, often pink-coloured. Infl. terminal, umbel-like, irregularly branched. Fls ∞, 1.5–2 mm. long, crowded in globose or hemispherical clusters at the ends of the ∞ branchlets; tepals ± equal the outer acuminate, the inner acute, all with light green centre and red-brown edges. Stamens 3, very rarely 3–6. Capsule = or slightly > tepals, ovoid, shining, mucronate, brown.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch.

Also recorded from southern South America and Hawaii.

In moist places throughout, sea level to 900 m. altitude.

J. planifolius var. chathamensis Buch. in Engl. Bot. Jb. 12, 1890, 434, was described as "Gracilis; caulis tenuis ca. 30 cm. altus; folia angusta, 1, 5 usque 2 mm. tantum lata; tepala intense colorata, medio dorsi brunnea, lateribus castaneo-nigris.-Chatham-Insel; leg. TRAVERS." A specimen at K, Travers 38, fits Buchenau's description well, but a large collection of J. planifolius specimens from Chatham Is held at CHR (M. A. and I. Ritchie, Aug.-Sept., 1968) showed considerable variation in size (as is normal in the sp.) but none of the more slender specimens had particularly dark tepals.