Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: ?. Type: P, Forster no. 78.

Stout robust tufts from a short rootstock. Culms (30)–45–80–(120) cm. × 2–4 mm. Lvs = or > culms, very and densely crowded at base of culm; sheaths dull brown, up to 18 cm. long; lamina narrow-linear, glab. abaxially, margins strongly involute when dry, smooth at the base, scabrid towards the tip. Panicle 20–60 × 2.5–5 cm., ± drooping, branchlets often in ± distant clusters. Spikelets 1- or very rarely 2-fld, 9–14 mm. long, on slender peduncles or ± sessile. Glumes 4–5, purple-black, the 2–3 outer glumes empty, lanceolate with a long scabrid awn, the inner 1–2 shorter, deeply concave. Stamens 4–6. Style-branches 4–(5). Nut 5–6.5 × 2–2.5 mm., ovoid to elliptic-ovoid, brownish orange, or rarely cream, smooth and shining, occ. slightly grooved, tip darker, obtuse, rarely scaberulous, wider than the short persistent stylebase; endocarp distinctly transversely grooved within.

DIST.: N. Only in mountains south of lat. 37º30'. S. Nelson, Westland, Fiordland; one locality in Canterbury. St.

In subalpine scrub in N., in forest, bog or scrub and descending to sea level further south.

FL. 12–2.

In North Id, G. procera occurs at higher altitudes than any other spp. of Gahnia.