Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 324197! A. P. Druce saddle betw. Mt Owen & Lookout Ra., NW Nelson, 3800 ft, silver beech forest (wet ground), Jan. 1972.

Erect, shortly rhizomatous, perennial light green to purplish tufts, to 40 cm, with loosely packed shoots, and culms overtopping leaves; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath green or purplish, later light brown, membranous, glabrous, distinctly ribbed. Ligule (0.4)-0.7-1.5 mm, apically glabrous, entire, obtuse, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade 1.5-16 cm × 0.5-1.5 mm, usually folded, rather wiry, often filiform rarely flat, smooth, but scabrid adaxially near ligule and abaxially on midrib near acute, ± incurved tip; margins scabrid. Culm (4)-12-35-(50) cm, internodes glabrous. Panicle (1.5)-3-9 cm, very lax; rachis glabrous, branches often in pairs, finely, sparingly scabrid, spreading, often purplish, each bearing few, conspicuous spikelets. Spikelets (2.3)-3-6 mm, (1)-2-3-(5)-flowered, green, often purplish. Glumes rather unequal, usually purplish; lower 1-2.5 mm, 1-nerved, linear-lanceolate, subacute, upper c. 2-3 mm, 3-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse, often scabrid on nerves. Lemma (2)-2.5-3.5 mm, 5-nerved, oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, apart from minute prickle-teeth on midnerve near obtuse, usually purplish tip. Palea 2-3 mm, keels shortly scabrid in upper ½, interkeel glabrous. Callus glabrous. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation almost twice as long. Lodicules 0.3-0.5 mm. Anthers (0.6)-0.8-1.2-(1.5) mm. Caryopsis c. 1.5 × 0.5 mm.

N.: Mt Egmont; S.: Nelson, Marlborough Sounds. Montane to subalpine in wet open forest and occasionally in damp sites in tussock grassland.

Endemic.