South Island: Nelson—Clarence Valley, T.F.C. Canterbury—Upper Waimakariri and Broken River, Enys! Kirk! Cockayne! T.F.C. Otago—Not uncommon in the dry plains of the central and north-western portions of the district, Petrie! 500–3000 ft.
A curious little species, with much of the habit of small states of Zoysia pungens.
2. T. pumila, Hack. MSS.—Culms tufted, slender, glabrous,, much branched at the base, 2–8 in. high. Leaves shorter than the culms, very narrow, involute, filiform, strict, erect, 1–2 in. long; sheaths pale, membranous, deeply grooved, glabrous or sparingly pilose with long soft hairs; ligules reduced to a transverse ring of hairs. Panicle ½–1 in. long, strict, erect, much contracted, of 3–15 spikelets; branches very short, erect, pubescent. Spikelets ⅙–⅕ in. long, lanceolate, 2–3-flowered. Two outer glumes exceeding the flowering glumes, subequal, lanceolate, acute or subacute, 3–5-nerved. Flowering glumes broadly ovate, sparsely silky-pilose on the margins and back, faintly 5–7-nerved, minutely 3-toothed at the apex, the central tooth mucroniform. Palea bifid at the tip, 2-keeled, ciliolate on the keels.—Atropis pumila, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 379.
South Island: Canterbury—Upper Waimakariri and Broken River, Kirk! T.F.C.; mountains near Lake Tekapo, T.F.C. Otago—Not uncommon in mountainous districts, Buchanan! Petrie! Kirk! Aston! Altitudinal range usually from 2000 to 5000 ft., but descending to sea-level in the south of Otago.
Referred to Atropis by Mr. Kirk, but clearly a Triodia, and closely allied to the following species, from which it differs in the longer and narrower spikelets, narrow outer glumes, and silky flowering glumes, which are distinctly though minutely 3-toothed at the apex.
3. T. australis, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 442.—Culms densely tufted, much branched at the base, erect or spreading, quite glabrous, leafy below, 2–4 in. high. Leaves usually shorter than the culms, narrow, involute, filiform, deeply striate; sheaths broad, grooved, pale; ligules reduced to a narrow band of short white hairs with a longer tuft on each side. Panicle small, strict, erect, contracted, ½–¾ in. long, of 6–15 spikelets; branches 4–6, short, pubescent. Spikelets about ⅙ in. long, 2–4-flowered. Two outer glumes rather shorter than the flowering glumes, subequal, broadly ovate, obtuse, 7-nerved; margins broad, pale. Flowering glumes very broadly ovate or rounded, glabrous, firm, 9-nerved, minutely and irregularly 3-toothed or erose at the tip. Palea broad, 2-keeled, the keels ciliolate.
