Chionochloa nivifera
Common name
Fiordland snow tussock
Synonyms
None (first described in 2004)
Family
Poaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Grasses
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CHINIV
Chromosome number
2n = 42
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (south-eastern Fiordland).
Habitat
Alpine, in short Chionochloa crassiuscula subsp. torta Connor grassland.
Detailed description
- Short dark green snow tussock of densely aggregated, compressed, suberect to ± prostrate shoots from a sheath-covered old low-creeping prone stout stem, of 1–3 finely pointed leaves accumulating and weathering in situ. Leaf-sheath 30–100 mm, strongly keeled above, reddish purple below becoming stramineous, persistent, inter-rib hairs minute; margin usually somewhat wavy, short hairy above or not; apical tuft of hair 0.5–1.0 mm or absent. Ligule narrow, to 0.25 mm. Leaf-blade to 300 × 2 mm, prominently keeled below as in leaf-sheath, strongly compressed, becoming flat, 3–5 mm wide, thin and weak, persistent, abaxially glabrous except for prickle-teeth on keel towards long fine twisting apex, adaxially prickle-toothed on nerves, margin with long hairs below and prickle-teeth above or hairs absent. Culm to 350 mm, glabrous, compressed, < leaves; sheath heavily nerved and sometimes empurpled. Inflorescence 60–100 mm, laxly open, pulvinate, of 11–20 solitary spikelets on long glabrous drooping branches and pedicels, naked below, occasionally 1–2 hairs below spikelet. Spikelet 8–10 mm long, of 3–5 florets, with awns flexed inwards and intercrossing. Glumes unequal, glabrous except for occasional long hairs at base of upper glume, occasionally mucronate, < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 5 mm, 3–5-nerved, upper to 7 mm, 7-nerved. Lemma 3–6 mm; hairs dense at margin and aside central nerve, scattered and fewer elsewhere though sometimes in all internerves, greater than or equal to sinus; lateral lobes 2–3.5 mm, triangular–acute, or awned to 1.5 mm, apex ciliate; central awn 4 mm flexed inwards from flat or slightly rotating column 0.50–0.75 mm, tip sometimes hooked. Palea 3.5–5.5 mm, ~ tip of lemma lobes, pointed or shallowly bifid, apex ciliate; keels long ciliate above glabrous below; flanks long hairy below. Callus 0.6–1.0 mm; hairs 2–3 mm. Rachilla 0.50–0.75 mm, glabrous. Lodicules 1.0 mm including hairs to 0.6 mm. Anthers 2.5 mm, empurpled. Ovary 0.75 mm; stigma-style 2.5 mm. Seeds 2.0–2.5 mm.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
Similar taxa
Allied to Chionochloa macra Zotov and C. pallens Zotov. Both C. nivifera and C. pallens are distinguished from C. macra by the leaf-sheath which is keeled rather than rounded and either keeled or compressed leaf-blades. Chionochloa nivifera is distinguished from C. pallens by the strongly compressed, weak rather than keeled and tough leaf-blades, and by the glabrous, flexuous and drooping inflorescence branches. The inflorescence branches of C. pallens are hairy and erect.
Flowering
Unknown—insufficiently studied and collected.
Fruiting
Unknown—insufficiently studied and collected.
Life cycle
Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult—except in cooler climates. It has been successfully cultivated in Dunedin and at Manaaki Whennua Landcare Research, Lincoln but proved impossible to maintain in Auckland. Dislikes drought and humidity.
Threats
Range Restricted—known from only a few locations where it can be at times locally common. However, the total area it occupies is very small. There are no known threats and further, as a newly described species from a remote part of New Zealand, it is likely to prove more widespread as this part of the country becomes better explored.
Etymology
chionochloa: Snow grass
Attribution
Description adapted from Connor and Lloyd (2004).
References and further reading
Connor HE, Lloyd KM. 2004. Species novae graminum Novae-Zelandiae II. Chionochloa nivifera (Danthonieae: Danthonioideae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 42: 531–536.