Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Australian. Type: NSW; isotype at CHR.

Densely tufted, erect, narrow-based clumps. Rhizome 2–3 mm. diam., horizontal. Flowering stems 50–70–(100) cm. × 1–1.5 mm., slender, ridged, not shining, light green, pith interrupted by irregularly shaped lacunae, or quite commonly continuous; lvs 0; basal bracts short, closely appressed to the stem, lower bracts light grey, the upper bracts light brown, paler towards the tip. Infl. apparently lateral, many-fld, open and spreading, branchlets slender, often curved, never clustered. Fls 1.5–2 mm. long, evenly spaced along branchlets of infl., not clustered; tepals pale green with very broad membr. margin. Stamens 3. Capsule 1.5–2 mm. long, ± = or slightly > tepals, trigonous-spherical, almost globose, shining, pale straw-coloured or light brown.

DIST.: K., N.

Recorded also from New Caledonia.

North of lat. 40º, in damp pasture and swampy ground near the coast.

This sp. is easily distinguished by the small, pale green to pale brown fls evenly spaced along the spreading infl. branchlets.

On the Kermadec Is plants grow up to 180 cm. tall and have culms up to 2 mm. diam. (CHR 173282, Denham Bay, Kermadec Is, swamp, W. R. Sykes, 20/12/1966).