Flora of New Zealand Series

Chaetospora pauciflora Hook. f. Fl. N.Z.  1,  1853,  273.

Original localities: "Northern Island; bogs, Tongariro and Patia, Colenso". Lectotype: K., marshes near Patea, Colenso 1616.

Rush-like; rhizome short, hard and woody, up to 3 mm. diam. Culms (10)–30–80–(90) cm. × 0.5–1.5 mm., densely tufted, longitudinally striate, grey-green or often red. Lvs reduced to ∞, very dark red-purple, basal sheaths, the uppermost 4–14 cm. long, the mucro much elongated, with toothed margins, occ. green. Panicle 1.5–3 cm. long, ± compact, with (1)–2–6–(9) spikelets at the tips of erect, slightly scabrid branchlets, the whole subtended by a stiff bract overtopping the panicle. Spikelets c. 5 mm. long, 2–4-fld, lanceolate. Glumes 4–6, lanceolate, 2–3 lowermost smaller, empty, membr. and colourless, or occ. brown; upper glumes darker brown, pale at the centre, margins hyaline, not ciliate. Hypog. bristles 6, filiform, almost = style, scabrid, persistent. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3, style often persistent. Nut 2–2.5 mm. long, slightly < 1 mm. wide, elliptic-oblong, greenish brown to red-brown, lighter brown at the angles, shining, smooth.

DIST.: N. Southwards from c. lat. 38º. S., St., Ch., A.

Abundant in wet places in mountains from 450–1,800 m. altitude; descends to sea level, occ. in Canterbury, and in Southland, Otago and Stewart Id.

Red and green plants often grow closely together and there seem to be no morphological differences between the two colour forms. There is also a slender form, culms < 1 mm. diam., and a robust form, culms > 1 mm. diam., but again no other differences were found except that according to A. P. Druce, in North Id, robust forms are found above the tree-line on the main ranges while slender forms are found in central North Id below the tree-line.

CHR 65614, Lake Katherine, George Sound. Fiordland, "hanging straight down damp rock face", R. Mason, 21/4/1949, differs from normal S. pauciflorus in having culms c. 150 cm. long, uppermost sheaths to 25 cm. long, panicles to 4 cm. long and nuts c. 3 mm. long.