Poa tennantiana Petrie
≡P. foliosa var. tennantiana (Petrie) Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Fl. 188 (1925);
Lectotype: WELT 36063! T. Kirk The Snares, 9 Jan. 1890 (designated by Edgar 1986 op. cit. p. 434).
Stout, stiff-leaved, yellow-green perennial tufts to c. 1 m, from strong rhizomatous base covered by abundant fibrous remnants of leaf-sheaths; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath submembranous, striate, densely, retrorsely, minutely pubescent-scabrid between ribs in basal leaves, glabrous in cauline leaves, very light brown, later becoming darker and shredding into fibres. Ligule 6-16 mm, apically glabrous, entire, narrowed to a long fine point, abaxially short-pubescent. Leaf-blade 16-38 cm × 4.5-9 mm, flat, finely striate, abaxially smooth, adaxially minutely papillose, very rarely minutely ciliate-scabrid on ribs; margins ciliate-fimbriate for a short distance above ligule, otherwise glabrous, gradually narrowed to straight-sided acute tip. Culm 15-33 cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 9-16 cm, broad, dense but much-branched, upper branches almost completely hidden by numerous, rather small spikelets, lower branches naked towards base; rachis smooth, branches and pedicels ± scabrid to occasionally smooth. Spikelets 3.5-4.5 mm, 2-3-flowered, light brown. Glumes subequal, ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous; lower 2-2.5 mm, 1-nerved, upper 2.5-3 mm, 3-nerved; midnerve near tip and margins with sparse prickle-teeth. Lemma 3-3.5 mm, 5-nerved, ovate-elliptic, minutely pubescent-scabrid, nerves longer ciliate on lower ⅓, acute, or midnerve very shortly excurrent. Palea 2.5-3 mm, keels scabrid in upper ½, interkeel smooth or with a few prickle-teeth. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.5-0.8 mm. Anthers 1-1.5 mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm. 2 n = 56.
S.: Otago, at Taieri R. mouth; St.: islands offshore except to north-east; Sn., A. Coastal, in forest margins, and clearings in scrub and on banks.
Endemic.
No recent collections have been made from Auckland Is, and earlier records of Poa tennantiana on Antipodes Is are erroneous [Godley, E. J. N.Z. J. Bot. 27: 531-563 (1989)].
