Flora of New Zealand Series

Cladium articulatum R.Br. Prodr.  1810,  237.

Machaerina articulata (R.Br.) Koyama in Bot. Mag., Tokyo  69,  1956,  62.

Type locality: Australian. Type: BM. Also recorded from New Caledonia, the New Hebrides and New Guinea.

Rhizome 5–7 mm. diam., often long and creeping, covered with closely imbricating bracts. Culms 80–180 cm. × 4–6 mm., cylindrical, smooth; hollow except for transverse septa ± distinct externally in lower part of culm. Lvs ± = culms; lamina terete, with distinct transverse septa; tip subulate, pungent; sheaths very long; lowermost lvs reduced to long, papery, grey or light brown, mucronate bracts. Panicle 12–30 cm. long, drooing, much-branched; branchlets in fascicles from sheathing bracts, lowermost bract 6–20 cm. long, with lamina septate like the lvs. Spikelets exceedingly , 4–6 mm. long, deep red-brown, 1–3-fld, 1–2 fls fertile, us., but not necessarily, the lowest. Glumes 4–7, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, scabrid at the back and on the keel, margins scabrid or with very short cilia; lowermost 1–2 glumes empty. Nut c. 2 × 1.5 mm., trigonous, elliptical to obovoid, red-brown with paler thickened angles, very shortly stipitate, crowned by the cushion-like pyramidal style-base.

DIST.: N. Common from North Cape southwards to c. lat. 38º, scattered further south.

In swamps and on margins of lakes, lower part often submerged; from sea level to 360 m. altitude.

A slender form, with culms 5 mm. diam. or less, and not always septate, was collected from Lake Waerenga, by T. Kirk, 23/5/1888; there are specimens from this gathering at WELT and AK. Three other Specimens at AK of B. articulata with non-septate culms were collected by J. Adams from Waiorongomai.