Flora of New Zealand Series

; Holotype: CHR 223875! P. Wardle Lower Otoko Pass, at head of Clarke tributary of Landsborough R., dominant in stony grassland, 4500 ft, 21.2.1972.

Slender, fine-leaved, often rhizomatous perennial, in low lax clumps or forming a light green turf, to 40 cm; branching intravaginal; leaf-blades disarticulating at ligule. Leaf-sheath pale creamy brown, later greyish, somewhat coriaceous with wide hyaline margins, folded, glabrous. Ligule 0.5-c. 1 mm, apically glabrous, entire, rounded, abaxially minutely scabrid. Leaf-blade 5-10-(20) cm × 0.5-1 mm, coriaceous, ± folded with inrolled margins, abaxially glabrous, adaxially glabrous or with scattered short fine hairs; margins and long-acicular tip finely scabrid. Culm (5)-15-30-(40) cm, erect, usually overtopping but sometimes = leaves, internodes glabrous. Panicle 2-5.5-(10) cm; branches ± spreading, few to many, often short, almost filiform, smooth to finely scabrid, tipped by 1-3 rather large spikelets. Spikelets 4.5-10-(12) mm, (2)-4-8-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes ± equal, lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous; lower (2)-2.5-3.5 mm, (1)-3-nerved, upper (2.5)-3-4 mm, 3-nerved; margins smooth, occasionally finely fimbriate. Lemma (3)-3.5-4.5-(5) mm, 5-nerved, elliptic-lanceolate, subacute to subobtuse, midnerve with short fine silky hairs on lower ⅓ to ½, glabrous above, lateral nerves with very short fine hairs near base, internerves glabrous apart from a few, occasional scattered hairs near base usually between lateral nerve and margin; margins finely ciliate above, glabrous or longer ciliate near base. Palea 2.5-4-(4.5) mm, keels with short hairs near base gradually decreasing in length to short prickle-teeth near tip, interkeel sometimes with a few hairs in lower ⅓ or glabrous. Callus with tuft of fine tangled hairs. Rachilla c. 0.5 mm, smooth, or with a few fine to very minute prickle-teeth; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules c. 0.5 mm. Anthers (1)-1.5-2.5-(3) mm. Caryopsis c. 1 × 0.5 mm. 2 n = 28.

S.: along Main Divide and to the west, occasionally to the east in Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, also in Fiordland; St. Alpine to subalpine in tussock grassland, herbfield or scrub, often on rock; at lower altitudes in the south.

Endemic.

Turf-forming, light green P. hesperia is distinct in habit from tussock-forming blue-green P. colensoi and also in spikelet characters from most short-liguled plants of P. colensoi other than those of Mt Egmont, western Otago, Southland and Stewart Id, see above under P. colensoi. The lemmas are mostly longer than those of P. colensoi and less ovate, with midnerve completely glabrous above and silky hairy in the lower ½, and internerves completely glabrous except for a few basal hairs.