Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Stipa micrantha Cav., Icon. 5: 42, t. 467, fig. 2 (1799); 

Holotype: MA n.v., photo! Née Nova-Hollandia.

=Agrostis sciurea R.Br. Prodr. 171  (1810)

≡Dichelachne sciurea (R.Br.) Hook.f., Fl. N.Z. 1: 294 (1853); 

Holotype: BM! R. Brown No. 6211 Port Jackson.

=D. crinita var. intermedia Hack. in Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Fl. 874  (1906); 

Lectotype: W 26415! D. Petrie Bay of Islands (No 1063 to Hackel) (designated by Edgar and Connor 1982 op. cit. p. 307).

Stout, rather rigid, extravaginal tufts, leaves < stiff, erect culms. Leaf-sheath stramineous to dull brown, with minute, appressed, scattered hairs. Ligule 0.3-0.5-(1) mm, membranous, truncate, minutely ciliate, abaxially scabrid, often asymmetric. Leaf-blade to 20 cm × 1.5-2.5 mm, rather stiff, flat, tapered towards tip, abaxially sparingly minutely scabrid, adaxially scabrid on ribs towards tip, minutely scabrid on margins. Culm 40-100 cm, internodes minutely scaberulous throughout, or glabrous but minutely scaberulous below panicle, variously purplish. Panicle 10-25 cm, erect, spike-like, often purplish, branches spreading at first; rachis, branchlets and pedicels closely short-scabrid. Spikelets numerous, close-set on branchlets, rather delicate. Glumes narrow-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, often suffused with purple; lower 3-4 mm, ≈ lemma, upper 3.5-5 mm, > lemma. Lemma 2.5-4 mm, sometimes purplish; awn 12-18 mm, very fine, column straight, awn curving above and twisted 2-3 times along whole length, inserted 0.6-0.9 mm below minutely bifid lemma-tip. Palea 2-3 mm, narrow-linear, keels scabrid above, tip ciliate. Callus hairs 0.3-0.5 mm. Rachilla prolongation c. 0.05 mm. Lodicules (0.4)-0.6-0.8 mm, hyaline, elliptic-oblong, unequally bilobed, occasionally minutely ciliate. Anthers 1, 1.2-1.4 mm in chasmogamous flowers, 0.6-0.8 mm in cleistogamous flowers. Caryopsis 2.0-2.3 × 0.3-0.4 mm; embryo 0.2-0.4 mm; hilum 1.8-1.9 mm.

N.: North Cape to Auckland. Scrub, roadsides, banks, usually not far from the coast, in lowland zone.

Indigenous.

Also indigenous to Norfolk Id, Australia, Easter Id and New Guinea.