904 GRAMINEZ [ Poa. 
6. P. anceps, Horst. Prodr. un. 43.—Perennial, very variable; 
innovation-shoots extravaginal. Culms tufted, often branched at the 
base, stout, compressed, glabrous, leafy, 6-36 in. high or even more. 
Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, subdistichous, 3-18 in. 
long, ;4-1in. broad, acute or acuminate, rather coriaceous, flat 
or concave, smooth on both surfaces or the margins slightly scabrid 
near the apex ; sheaths compressed, grooved; ligules a short trun- 
cate rim. Panicle very variable, 2-12in. long, 1-din. broad, 
lanceolate to oblong or ovate, effuse or contracted, rather dense 
or open, inclined or erect ; rhachis smooth or scaberulous; branches 
short or long, suberect or spreading, 2 or 3 or more from one node, 
once or twice divided ; branchlets capillary, scaberulous. Spikelets 
ovate-oblong, compressed, +-4 in. long, 3-6-flowered. Two outer 
glumes unequal, not half the length of the spikelet, but reaching 
3-way up the flowering glume above them, lanceolate, acuminate, 
3-nerved, scabrid on the keel and sides or almost glabrous. Flower- 
ing glumes oblong to oblong-ovate, obtuse or subacute, keeled, pro- 
minently 5-nerved, minutely scaberulous on the surface and nerves 
or almost smooth, keel usually scabrid, callus and lower part of keel 
with a few crisped hairs or almost glabrous. Palea almost as long 
as the flowering glume, linear-oblong, minutely ciliate-scabrid on 
the keels. Anthers long.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 306; Handb. 
N.Z. Fil. 339; Buch. N.Z. Grasses, t. 44. BP. australis, A. Rach. FI. 
Nouv. Zel. 141; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 262; Raoul, Choixz, 39 (not 
of f. Br.). 
Var. condensata, Cheesem.—Culms 4-18 in. high, often overtopped by the 
leaves. Panicle shorter and much more compact, dense-flowered. Spikelets 
rather smaller, 2-4-flowered. Glumes smoother, hardly scaberuious. 
Var. gracilis, Cheesem.—Culms slender, 4-18in. high. Leaves narrow, 
often involute. Panicle lax; branches few, 2-3 from each node or solitary ; 
spikelets fewer, towards the tips of the branchlets, smaller, 2-5-flowered. 
Glumes smoother. This appears to connect the type with P. seticulmis. 
Nortu anp Sour Isuanps: The typical form throughout the whole of the 
North Island, ranging from sea-level to 3500 ft., apparently rare and local in the 
South Island, but recorded from Marlborough and Nelson, and extending along 
the West Coast to the south of Westport. Var. condensata not uncommon as 
far as Canterbury ; var. graciiis to Foveaux Strait. 
What I consider to be the typical state of this variable plant includes the 
two varieties elata and foliosa of the Handbook, and can be distinguished by 
the tall stout culms often branching at the base, broad and flat subdistichous 
smooth leaves, large usually lax panicle, and numerous rather large spikelets, 
with subacute flowering glumes prominently nerved and usually more or less 
finely scaberulous. But it runs on all sides into numerous varieties exceedingly 
difficult to define, if, indeed, they are capable of exact circumscription. 
7. P. seticulmis, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxiv. (1902) 391.— 
Culms tufted, branched at the base, very slender, erect, smooth 
and glabrous, 4-12in. high. Leaves shorter or longer than the 
culms, very narrow, usually involute and filiform, rarely slightly 
