- ≡ Uncinia divaricata Boott in Hooker, Bot. Antarct. Voy. II. (Fl. Nov.-Zel.) Part I, 286 (1853)
- ≡ Uncinia compacta var. divaricata (Boott) Hook.f., Handb. New Zealand Fl. 309 (1864)
- = Uncinia clarkii Petrie (1888)
- ≡ Uncinia compacta var. clarkii (Petrie) Kük., Pflanzenr. (Engler) 38 , 65 (1909)
- = Uncinia compacta var. petriei C.B.Clarke in Cheeseman, Man. New Zealand Fl. 800 (1906)
- ≡ Uncinia divaricata var. petriei (C.B.Clarke) Hamlin, 19: 57 (1959)
Laxly caespitose or shortly rhizomatous, rhizome 1–2 mm. diam. Culms 1–16–(40) cm. × 0.5–1–(2) mm., erect or ascending, rigid, subtrigonous, glab.; basal bracts dull yellow-brown or darker brown. Lvs 4–8–(12) per culm, us. < mature culms but occ. = or > culms, (1.5)–2–4 mm. wide, rather soft to coriac., dark yellowish green, scabrid on margins. Spikes 1–4.5 cm. × 4–10 mm., female fls ∞, densely crowded, internodes almost all equal, 0.5–1 mm. long. Glumes occ. > utricles in lower part of spike, = or < utricles above, deciduous, subulate or ovate, obtuse to subacute, membr., hyaline, or light to dark brown and opaque, midrib green with the 3 nerves not very conspicuous, midrib of 1–3 lowest glumes often scabrid and occ. produced in lowermost glume to a scabrid awn. Utricles 3.5–4.5–(5) × 1–1.5 mm., trigonous or subtrigonous with conspicuous lateral nerves, greenish brown to dark brown, widely spreading when ripe, contracted below to a broad stipe c. 1 mm. long, beak 1–1.5 mm. long.
[From: Moore and Edgar (1970) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 2. as Uncinia divaricata Boott]