Flora of New Zealand Series

C. tenax Bergg. in Minneskr. fisiogr. Sällsk. Lund 1878, Art, 8, 27, t. 7, f. 1–7 non Chapm. ex Dew. in Am. J. Sci. ser 2, 19, 1855, 254.

C. lucida Boott var. buchanani (Bergg.) Kük. in Pflanzenr. 38, 1909, 686.

Original localities (for C. tenax): "locis siccis graminosis in alpibus ad flumen Waimakariri et in pratis litoralibus ad Bluff insulae australis Novae Zelandiae." Type: LD, "ad flumen Waimakariri", S.Berggren, Feb., 1874; isotypes at WELT and K.

Densely tufted, but from an ascending rhizome c. 3 mm. diam., strict, reddish brown, rarely yellow-green. Culms 7–40–(75) cm. × 0.5–1.5 mm. erect, rarely elongating to 120 cm. and becoming prostrate, semiterete, smooth and shining, basal sheaths dark red-purple, almost black. Lvs = or slightly > culms, c. 1–1.5 mm. wide, plano-convex, often semiterete, erect, wiry, linear, gradually narrowed and flattened towards the acute, occ. cirrhose tip, smooth and shining, reddish or green on the back, upper surface matt, pale cream, margins scaberulous towards the base, more strongly serrulate towards the tip, sheath not much broader than lamina and of similar texture, with finely membr margins. Spikes 5–6, silvery, distant, or the upper spikes approximate, sessile or the lowest slightly pedunculate; uppermost 1–(2) spikes male, cylindrical; lower spikes female, 0.5–3 cm. × 3–4 mm., oblong, occ. with a few male fls at the base; bracts subtending lower spikes lf-like, much > infl. Glumes (excluding awn) < or = utricles, ovate, acute, white and membr., with a stronger midrib and long scabrid awn. Utricles 2.5–3 mm. long, slightly > 1mm. wide, plano-convex, elliptic-ovoid, pale cream at the base with dark brown to purple-black splotches above or occ. entirely pale green, faintly nerved, margins scabrid above, abruptly narrowed to a pale slender, recurved, deeply bifid beak, 0.5–1 mm. long, margins ciliate-serrate, orifice scabrid, stipe minute. Stigmas 2. Nut c. 1.5 mm., long, plano-convex to almost biconvex, obovoid, tapering towards the base, brown.

DIST.: N. Local only, southwards from c. lat 39 . S. Locally common but not recorded from Westland and Fiordland and rare in Southland.

On the foreshore amongst scrub, in damp ground near streams, in short tussock grassland, coastal and inland to 900 m. altitude.

A very distinct sp. with its stiff erect habit, plano-convex often semiterete lvs, membr., colourless glumes and us. dark-coloured utricles. The scabrid-beaked utricles resemble those of C. comans and C. albula but C. buchananii has only 2 stigmas and is much more robust than the other 2 spp.