Art. XXX.—Description of three new Species of Uncinia.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 17, 1884, Page 271

Art. XXX.—Description of three new Species of Uncinia. By D. Petrie, M.A. [Read before the Otago Institute, 12th August, 1884.] 1. Uncinia laxiflora, n. sp A Densely tufted species. Culms 14 inches to 2 feet high, slender, trigonous, scabrid towards the top. Leaves as long as or rather longer than the culms very narrow (1/32–1/12 inch wide), flat or concave, slightly scabrid, the expanded bases sheathing the lower part of the culm. Spikelet very lax-flowered, slender, 2 ½–3 ½ inches long; bract leafy, setose, or none. Glumes distant, green, lanceolate, sub-acute, shorter than the utricle. Utricle plano-convex, linear oblong, tapering at both ends, with numerous faint nerves; bristle half the length of the utricle. Hab. Owake Flat near Catlin's River (P. Goyen); Stewart Island; Buller Valley (T. F. Cheeseman). This species is closely allied to the next U. rigida, mihi. It is also allied more remotely to U. filiformis, Boott, and U. cœspitosa, Boott. The latter as described in the “Handbook” appears to include several distinct forms, of which this is probably one. U. cœspitosa, Boott, is there said to be very variable, but I do not find it so. I have never gathered specimens of it in Otago, or indeed elsewhere than in the North Island. 2. Uncinia rigida, n. sp A densely tufted species. Culms 16–30 inches high, rather stout, terete, slightly scabrid towards the top. Leaves as long as or rather shorter than the culms, flat or trigonous, 1/16–1/12 inch broad, strongly keeled, scabrid. Spikelets very uniform, 2–2 ½ inches long, rather slender, bract leafy, twice as long as the spikelets. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, obtuse or acute, laxly imbricate, brownish, with scarious margins. Utricle slightly longer than the glumes, fusiform, plano-convex, tapering at both ends, brownish, with numerous faint nerves, the bristle nearly as long as the utricle. Hab. Blueskin, Waitahuna, Lawrence, Roxburgh.

This species has very close affinity with U. laxiflora, mihi. It differs in habit, in the shorter, more uniform, stouter and less lax-flowered spikelets, and in the size of the utricle. Intermediate forms may connect these two species into one variable series. This appears to form part of U. cœspitosa of the Handbook. 3. Uncinia purpurata, n. sp A species of sparse growth. Leaves much shorter than the fullgrown culms, grassy, concave or flat, ½0–1/15 wide, slightly scabrid. Culms twice as long as the leaves or more, rather slender, wiry, terete, smooth. Spikelets ¾–1 ½ inch long; bract none. Glumes closely imbricate, broadly ovate, obtuse or subacute, dark brown with white margins, strongly keeled, shorter than the utricle. Utricle ovate-oblong, plano-convex, tapering above, dark brown but paler at the top, with numerous faint veins; bristle incurved as long as the utricle. Sab. Signal Hill, Dunedin. Var. robusta. Leaves as long as the culms, flat, scabrid. Culms stouter, shorter, slightly scabrid towards the top. Spikelets with male portion shorter, very variable in length ½–2 ½ inches. Glumes and utricle as in typical form. Hab. Maungatua, Taieri. This very distinct species stands close to U. rubra, Boott. The forms which I have placed under var. robusta differ widely in habit from the typical form of the species, and may yet prove sufficiently distinct to be worthy of specific rank. In the meantime, relying on the likeness of the spikelets, I prefer to regard them as a variety of the species described.