Chionochloa rigida subsp. rigida, Rock and Pillar Range (Photo: Jesse Bythell)The tussock grasslands of New Zealand form expansive and distinctive landscapes mainly in South Island but also on the central plateau of the North Island and along parts of the axial range. The tussock grasses include grass species of Chionochloa, Festuca and Poa and some Carex sedges. Grasses of the genus Chionochloa dominate New Zealand’s tussocklands.
For more information see:
- Video about tussock grasslands research by Sir Alan Mark
- Te Ara Encyclopedia
- Conservation status of NZ’s indigenous grasslands
- New Zealand tussock grasslands (Wikipedia)
- Burning in a New Zealand snow-tussock grassland: effects on vegetation and fauna by G. W. Yeats and W. G. Lee (1997), New Zealand Journal of Ecology, Vol.21, No. 1
- Sheep in the tussock grasslands by B.H. Hercus - Proceedings of the NZ Ecological Society