Flora of New Zealand Series

Chaetospora imberbis R.Br. Prodr.  1810,  233.

S. imberbis (R.Br.) Poir. Encycl. Suppl.  2,  1811,  251 

non S. imberbis R. Br. Prodr. 1810, 231.

S. laxiflorus Steud. Syn. Pl. glum.  2,  1855,  166.

S. brownii Hook. f. Handbk. N.Z.  Fl.  1864,  298.

S. vacillans Kirk in T.N.Z.I.  10,  1878,  421.

S. apogon var. laxiflorus (Steud.) C. B. Clarke in Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 783.

Culms ∞, densely tufted, rather flaccid, unbranched, glab. or occ. scabrid just below infl. Lvs 4–18 cm. long, very narrow-linear, acute, channelled, margins slightly scabrid; sheaths membr., reddish. Panicle of us. 2, distant or ± approximate fascicles, the terminal one us. with almost sessile, densely clustered spikelets, lower fascicles often with stalked, loosely clustered spikelets; bract subtending each fascicle lf-like, lowest bract us. overtopping whole infl. Glumes dark red-brown to almost black, us. with a paler centre, midrib often slightly scabrid, 1–3 lowermost glumes smaller, empty, often mucronate. Hypog. bristles 6, > nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut slightly < 1 mm. long, c. 0.5 mm. wide, elliptic-ovoid, almost globose, obtuse, apiculate, white, the 3 angles green or yellow.