Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Carnley Harbour, Auckland Is. Type: WELT, 2980, Aston, 8/1/1909; isotype at AK.

Slender tufts, shoots < 1mm. diam. at base (including sheaths), often rather distant from an ascending rhizome < 1 mm. diam. Culms (5)–15–40 cm. long, much < 0.5 mm. diam., glab.; basal bracts dull, dark reddish brown. Lvs 4–7 per culm, ± = culms, 0.5–1 mm. wide, yellow-green, scabrid on margins and adaxial surface towards the long filiform tip. Spikes 2.5–5 cm. × 2–3 mm., occ. bracteate, female fls c. 10–20, internodes to 5 mm. long at base of spike, 1.5–2 mm. long above. Glumes = or slightly < utricles, deciduous, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, membr., pale cream or brown with a green midrib. Utricles 5–6 mm. long, slightly < 1 mm. diam., plano-convex or subtrigonous to trigonous, narrow oblong-lanceolate, light green, shining, nerved but often very faintly so on the two abaxial surfaces, us. erect when ripe, slightly narrowed to a stipe 1–1.5 mm. long, beak gradually tapered, only slightly narrower than utricle, 1–1.5 mm. long.

DIST.: S. South Otago and Fiordland. St., A., C.

Forest and scrub from sea level to 900 m. altitude.

Hamlin separated U. aucklandica from U. hookeri as having a "less caespitose, often stoloniferous habit, narrower leaves and spikes, and in the utricles not spreading when ripe. The dark colour of the glumes as found in U. hookeri is apparently absent in U. aucklandica."