Order GRAMINEAE. 
Genus Poa. 
Sub-Order Festucaceal 
14—POA LINDSAYI. 
BROWN-FLOWERED POA. 
{Plate LII.) 
Poa Lindsayi, Hook, fil., Handb. N.Z. FI., I., 340. 
A small tufted sub-alpine grass, found from 500—4000 feet altitude. Flowers December—February. 
Perennial. Culms 3—12 inches high, erect, slender. Leaves \ —4 inches long, flaccid, very narrow, 
flat, subulate, sheathing leaves very short; ligule short, obtuse, or lacerate. Panicle ovate, open, 1—7 
inches long, branches capillary, 2- or 3-nate, distant, often flexuose, lower —1^- inches long. Spikelets 
few, sub-terminal on the branches, 4—8-flowered, brownish-green. Empty glumes 3-nerved. Flowering 
glume 5-nerved, inner pair faint, scabridous, border membranous, sprinkled with short hairs near the base. 
Palea bifid, 2-nerved. Scale oblique, acute. Anthers short. Grain linear. Distribution of 
Species : NEW ZEALAND. 
This beautiful little grass is abundant on the sub-alpine pasture grounds of the South Island, where, 
trom its close tufted habit, and large capacity of seeding, it proves very permanent. This forms one of 
many valuable sheep grasses, which, from their small size, are little noticed except when in flower, yet but 
for their presence the feeding capacity of many districts would be very poor. The permanence of some 
of the smaller Poas, among which the present must be included, is most markedly shown by their increase 
on road cuttings, near fences, or wherever the ground is disturbed. This would indicate that a very 
small amount of cultivation would increase them abundantly. Distribution in New Zealand : 
SOUTH ISLAND: SADDLE HILL, OTAGO—Lindsay; LAKE DISTRICT—Hector and 
Buchanan, Petrie; ACHERON VALLEY, CANTERBURY (4000 feet) Travers; KOWAI 
VALLEY (2000—3000 feet)—Haast. 
Reference to Plate LII. : Fig. 1. Plant. 2. Spikelet. 3. Floret. 4, 4. Nervation of empty 
glumes. 5. Nervation of flowering glume. 6 . Nervation of Palea. 7 • Scale. 8 , 8 . Grain, front 
and side views. 
