Flora of New Zealand Series

Gaimardia ciliata Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. 1, 1844, 85.

Alepyrum ciliatum (Hook. f.) Hieron. in Pflanzenfam. ed. 1, 2, pt 4, 1888, 14.

C. viridis Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 23, 1891, 441.

C. viridis Kirk var. ligulata Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 23, 1891, 442.

Gaimardia ciliata Hook. f. var. ligulata (Kirk) Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 289.

Pseudalepyrum ciliatum (Hook. f.) Dandy in J. Bot., Lond. 70, 1932, 331.

P. ciliatum (Hook. f.) Dandy var. ligulatum (Kirk) Dandy in J. Bot., Lond. 70, 1932, 331.

Type locality: "Lord Auckland's group; exposed places on the hills, very abundant, forming large green patches." Lectotype: K, "in dense green hemispherical, very harsh, close tufts from 400 ft to the mountain tops. Makes a good brush as it grows. Lord Auckland Island," J. D. Hooker, Nov., 1840; isotype at AK.

Mosslike, 1–8 cm. high, in very broad cushions often more than 30 cm. across. Roots comparatively thick, c. 0.5 mm. diam. Stems very closely packed. Lvs 0.5–2.5 cm. long, distichous, closely imbricate, setaceous, lamina channelled or terete, tip minutely acicular; sheath with ciliate margins, often produced at the tip into a ligule. Flowering stems > lvs. Glume-like bracts 2, ± equal, minutely papillate, tips inrolled, apparently opp. but the lowermost encloses a short peduncle bearing the upper glume and its fls. Pseudanthia 1–2 in the lower bract, 1–(2) in the upper, each subtended by a hyaline scale. ♂ 1 or 0 in each pseudanthium. ♀ (1)–2 in each pseudanthium; stigmas bright red, not connate at the base. Seed slightly < 1 mm. long, oblong-elliptical, pale yellow, apiculate at each end, one tip very dark.

DIST.: N., S., St., A., C.

Recorded also from Tasmania.

In subalpine bogs throughout, to 1,600 m. altitude; descends to sea level in Westland in pakihi, in Southland, Stewart Id and in the Subantarctic Is.

FL. 11–1. FT. 1–3.

C. viridis Kirk. Type: WELT, 16337, Arthur's Pass, 3,000 ft, Kirk 653, Jan., 1876. Kirk first distributed specimens of C. viridis from Arthur's Pass under the nomen nudum Alepyrum viride (T.N.Z.I. 14, 1882, 384).

C. viridis var. ligulata. Type: WELT, 16335, Frazer Peaks, Stewart Id, T. Kirk 965, Jan. 1887; isotype at K. There seems to be no difference between the ligulate and non-ligulate forms other than the presence or absence of the ligule on the lf. Kirk described var. ligulata as more slender than var. viridis, with lvs ½–¾ in. long, spreading, filiform, obtuse or subacute; but the size and type of lf mentioned by Kirk are common to both ligulate and non-ligulate forms. The type of C. ciliata and all plants from Campbell Id and Auckland Is have ligulate lvs, and also some specimens from Stewart Id, and some from the mountains of Otago and from near Invercargill.

Red forms with smaller lvs are sometimes collected, often close to green forms. When these are grown together in the same type of soil mixture the red forms gradually become green and indistinguishable from other plants of the sp. A plant collected by A. P. Druce from Table Top in the Tararuas and cultivated at Lincoln is a much brighter green than plants from South Id or Auckland Is and grows into a much more humped cushion.