Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 9679! V. D. Zotov Bold Peak, Humboldt Mts, 5.1.1936.

Fairly robust, lax tufts. Leaf-sheath glabrous, ± striate, mostly deep purple. Ligule c. 0.5 mm, abaxially hairy. Collar rather thick, often hairy. Leaf-blade 15-30 cm × 4-8 mm, tapering, abaxially glabrous, adaxially abundantly hairy on prominent flat-topped ribs; margins toothed. Culm 30-60 cm, internodes glabrous, ridged. Panicles 8-15 cm, very lax and spreading; branches mostly binate at each node, glabrous, naked below, slender, drooping, spikelets few towards tips; pedicels to 10 mm, scabrid to villous above. Glumes subequal, ovate, subacute, membranous, margins wide scarious above, keel prickle-toothed above or glabrous; upper 6-8 mm, 3-nerved. Florets > lower glume, ♂ florets light brown to brown, ⚥ floret paler, often golden and glistening at maturity. ♂ florets: lemma 5-6 mm, oblong, subacute, lobes 0.5-1 mm, villous below, scabrid above, margins densely long-ciliate; awns of both florets ± equal, rather stout, column 2-3.5-5 mm twisted, arista 3-4-(5) mm, insertion c. 2 mm above base of lemma; palea c. 4 mm, membranous, apex bifid, keels finely ciliate, interkeel hairy; lodicules 1.2-2.0 mm, ± ovate, acute, irregularly lobed, ciliate; callus hairs to 1 mm; anthers 2.3-3.4 mm. ⚥ floret: lemma 3.5-4.5 mm, ovate, long hairs on keel below, finely scabrid and with long hispid golden brown hairs exceeding apex, muticous or subapically mucronate 0-0.5 mm; palea ≈ lemma, ovate-lanceolate, keel short hairy above; lodicules 1-1.8 mm, ciliate; anthers 1.1-2.5 mm; gynoecium: ovary 1 mm, stigma-styles 3.5-6 mm; caryopsis 2-2.5 × 0.75 mm, embryo 0.5 mm, hilum c. 0.75 mm.

S.: Nelson and Marlborough sparse, Main Divide southwards from Canterbury, and to east; St. Alpine.

Endemic.

Buchanan, J. Indig. Grasses N.Z. t. 35 (1879) illustrated H. equiseta (as Danthonia buchananii) from a plant from the Matukituki Valley. Kirk, T. T.N.Z.I. 14: 385 (1882) by referring to Buchanan's t. 35 allied our plant with Victorian H. submutica F.Muell. which he reduced in rank as H. alpina var. submutica (F.Muell.) Kirk. As the basionym for Kirk's combination is Australian it is not included in the synonymy of endemic H. equiseta.