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Specimens Examined
Herb. Bot Division: 17483 Ben More, H. H. Allan; 17601 Lewis Saddle, G. Simpson; 21765 Flock House Estate, Bulls, A L. Poole; 22481 Tapui-o-maruhine Hut, Ngaruroro River, Kaimanawa Range, 3,500 feet, A. L. P.; 28278 Blue Mountains, L. B. Moore; 33862 Red Hills, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, J. H. McMahon; 37089 Arthur Pass, V. D. Zotov; 37209 Waiau, Marlborough, A. J. Healy; 37210 North Branch, Kowai River, North Canterbury, A. J. H.; 58378 Upper Clarence Valley, R. Mason; 64897 Reporoa Bog, Ruahine Range, W. F. Harris; 67581 Leslie Clearing, Caswell Sound, 2,000 feet, A. L. Poole; 68661 Ngamatea Swamp. Inland Patea. B. G. Hamlin; 68884 Tikitiki Bush, Ngamatea, Inland Patea, B. G. H.; 73856 Molesworth, Awatere Valley, B. G. H.; 74525 Motutapu, Lake Wanaka, V. D. Zotov; 75257 Shag River near Palmerston, Otago, V. D. Z.; 75444 Molesworth, Awatere Valley, B. G. Hamlin; 75352 Motutapu. Lake Wanaka, V. D. Zotov; 75831 Reserve Road south of Timaru, R. Mason and N. T. Moar No. 923; 75898 Blue Mountains, Tapanui, R. M. and N. T. M. No. 1264; 76623 Clinton-Mataura Road, R. M. and N. T. M. No. 1048; 76634 Waikaka Valley, Southland, R. M. and N. T. M. No. 1112; 76732 Oreti Beach. Southland, R. M. and N. T. M. No. 1242; 76746 Blue Mountains, Tapanui, R. M. and N. T. M. No. 1279; 79496 Moawhanga River, S.W. Kaimanawa Range, B. G. Hamlin and A. P. Druce; 82684 Otautau, Southland, raised bog, N. T. Moar No. 2467.
Herb. Dominion Museum: Waimarino, D. Petrie; South-West Nelson and Buller River, W. Townson; Cedar Creek, Denniston, P. G. Morgan; Lake Rotoiti, Nelson, 1,800 feet, T. F. Cheeseman; Upcot, Awatere Valley, D. Petrie; Hanmer Plains, C. Christensen; western part of Amuri County, W. G. Morrison; Bealey
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River near Mingatua Junction, W. R. B. Oliver; Castle Hill Hotel, L. Cockayne, No. 1601; North Poulter, 900 m. L. Cockayne No. 1621; Dunedin, D. Petrie; Bluff, J. Crosby Smith.
Herb. Auckland Museum: 2583 Rangipo Desert, swamp at foot of Mt. Ruapehu, H. Tryon; 2594 Lake Rotoiti, Nelson, T. F. Cheeseman; 2596 Lake Tekapo, T. F. C.; 2598 Gimmerburn, B. C. Aston; 2599 Lawrence, Otago, D. Petrie No. 31.
Herb. Canterbury Museum: Marlborough, J. H. McMahon; Waimarino, A. Wall.
Type: Herb. Auckland Museum No. 2596 from Lake Tekapo, 2,500 feet, collected by T. F. Cheeseman, January, 1883.
This specimen or a duplicate thereof was sent to Kukenthal as representing C. ternaria var. pallida and must therefore be taken as conforming to Cheeseman's concept of his variety. Mr. R. Cooper has previously selected this specimen as the type in a published list of types in the Auckland Museum Herbarium (Rec. Auckl. Inst. Mus. 3:6 (1949) 399).
Kukenthal confined his concept to the form with pale glumes but I have included in the above species the much commoner dark-glumed form. Cheeseman apparently adopted the name on account of the pale spikelets, the colour being due to the yellowish utricles, which, when ripe, almost completely hide the glumes.
C. coriacea is a most distinct plant in the field with its long rhizomes, tufted habit and broad strict leaves. On the banks of watercourses the rhizomes ramify through the soil at a depth of up to 20 cm. giving a dense stand which contributes very considerably to preventing erosion of the soil.
The spikelets are usually completely hidden by the leaves and it is possible to walk through a stand without seeing them even though the plants are in full flower or fruit.
The species is illustrated by Boott (Ill. Car. iv (1867) t. 597 on left-hand side of plate) on the same plate as his C. ternaria var. minor and apparently including it but, as the illustrations show, the two plants are quite distinct.
C. t. var. minor forma nigrescens Kukenth. in Engler's Pflanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 369, based on a single specimen (Cockayne No. 1535) from Arthur Pass, is of rather doubtful validity. A specimen, possibly a duplicate, in Herb. Auckland Museum, is very immature and the utricle characters cannot be determined. The glumes are black, larger than in C. coriacea and with a red midrib which is produced into a long awn. equalling or exceeding the glume length. The vegetative characters agree with C. coriacea. It may be an aberrant form but much more material will be necessary before an opinion can be formed.
The name C. coriacea is proposed as the combination C. pallida is invalidated by C. pallida C. A. Mey.