Uneinaa. | CYPERACEAE. 245 
neighbourhood of U. compacta, whereas the true U. rupestris of Raoul, judging from 
his plate and description, is closely allied to U. riparia. This view was also held by 
Mr. C. B. Clarke, with whom I had some correspondence on the subject. 
4. U. compacta R. Br. Prodr. (1810) 241—Rhizome creeping, stoloni- 
ferous. Culms rather stout, rigid, obscurely. trigonous, leafy towards the 
base, variable in size, in dry open or alpine situations often dwaried to 
2 in. or even less, in moist sheltered or shaded localities attaining 8-10 in. 
Leaves usually shorter than the stems but sometimes equalling or even 
exceeding them, subrigid, flat, grassy, striate, #g-$in. broad; margins 
scabrid. Spike short, stout, dense, oblong, }-lin. long by about fin. 
diam., pale greenish-brown to chestnut-brown; the lowest glume some- 
times produced into a leaf-like bract occasionally exceeding the spike. 
Glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute; keel greenish, 1-3-nerved ; 
margins pale-brown, membranous. Stamens 3. Utricles about equalling 
the glumes, oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, trigonous, glabrous, 
smooth or faintly nerved, spreading when fully ripe; bristle stout, about 
twice the length of the utricle. Nut trigonous—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fi. 
(1864) 309: Fl. Tasm. ii (1860) 102, t. 15388; Benth. Fl. Austral. vu 
(1878) 484; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx (1883) 894; Kukenth. 
in Pflanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 65; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 800. 
U. divaricata Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i (1853) 286. U. Clarkei Petrie 
in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx (1887) 185. 
3 GS 
Var. Clarkei Kukenth. in Pflanzenr. Heft 56 (1909) 183.—Culms taller, often reaching 
12in. Spike longer and not so dense, 1-2in. long; bract usually overtopping the 
spike. Glumes paler. Utricles smaller and narrower, and more evidently stipitate.— 
U. compacta var. Petriei C. B. Clarke in Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 800. 
Var. caespitiformis Kukenth. in Cockayne Surv. Stewart Is. (1909) 42.— Rhizome 
densely tufted, putting out short stolons. Culms and leaves rigid. Spikes narrow. 
Utricles spreading when mature. 
coal 
Nortu Istanp: In mountain districts from Mount Egmont, Ruapehu, and 
Hikurangi to Mount Hector, not uncommon. SourH IsLanp, Stewart ISLAND : 
Abundant in subalpine districts throughout. 1000-5500 ft. December—March. 
Var. Clarkei: Apparently as widely distributed as the species. Var. caespitiformis : 
Mount Anglem, Stewart Island, Cockayne. 
Kukenthal keeps up Hooker’s var. divaricata for the reception of most of the New 
Zealand forms, but the differences are really very trivial, consisting of little more than 
the taller culms and stouter spikelets. : 
The geographical range of the species is peculiar. In addition to New Zealand, 
it is found in Victoria and Tasmania, in Kerguelen, and in Amsterdam Island. 
5. U. fuseo-vaginata Kukenth. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. Series 2, vol. iv 
(1904) 50.—Rhizome thick, woody, shortly stoloniferous. Culms tufted, 
4-12in. long, rarely more, rigid, angled, scabrid above, furnished at the 
base with brown leafless scales. Leaves exceeding the culms, ;4;-4 in. 
broad, rigid, flat, striate, scabrous, gradually tapering to an acuminate 
point. Spike linear-oblong, somewhat subclavate, dense-flowered, 13-23 in. 
long; male portion short, cylindric; bract often absent, but sometimes 
present and exceeding the spike. Female glumes oblong-lanceolate, sub- 
obtuse, pale-ferruginous, green on the back and 3-nerved. Utricle slightly 
exceeding the glumes, obovate-oblong, about 4 in. long, narrowed at each 
end, somewhat spongy at the base, finely striate; bristle twice the length 
of the utricle—Kukenth. in Pflanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 60. U. compacta 
var. viridis C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx (1883) 395. U. purpurata 
var. fusco-vaginata Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 801. 
% 
