- = Chaetospora imberis R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland. 233 (1810)
- = Schoenus laxiflorus Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2, 166 (1855)
- ≡ Schoenus apogon var. laxiflorus (Steud.) C.B.Clarke ex Cheeseman, Man. New Zealand Fl. 783 (1906)
- = Schoenus brownii Hook.f., Handb. New Zealand Fl. 298 (1864)
- = Schoenus vacillans Kirk, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 10: 421 (1878)
Culms ∞, densely tufted, rather flaccid, unbranched, glab. or occ. scabrid just below infl. Lvs 4–18 cm. long, very narrow-linear, acute, channelled, margins slightly scabrid; sheaths membr., reddish. Panicle of us. 2, distant or ± approximate fascicles, the terminal one us. with almost sessile, densely clustered spikelets, lower fascicles often with stalked, loosely clustered spikelets; bract subtending each fascicle lf-like, lowest bract us. overtopping whole infl. Glumes dark red-brown to almost black, us. with a paler centre, midrib often slightly scabrid, 1–3 lowermost glumes smaller, empty, often mucronate. Hypog. bristles 6, > nut. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut slightly < 1 mm. long, c. 0.5 mm. wide, elliptic-ovoid, almost globose, obtuse, apiculate, white, the 3 angles green or yellow.
[From: Moore and Edgar (1970) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 2.]