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  4. Agrostis oresbia

Agrostis oresbia

Specimen from Hikurangi.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved.
Hikurangi.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hikurangi.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hikurangi.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

mountain bent

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Grasses

Detailed description

Tufted or stoloniferous plants 50–250 mm, culms overtopping leaves. Leaf-sheath hyaline, light green to light brown, prominently ribbed, smooth, rarely with prickle teeth. Ligule 1–4.5 mm, truncate to obtuse, denticulate or entire, glabrous. Leaf-blade 20–70 × 1.5–2 mm, flat or folded, undersides smooth, upper prominently ribbed, margins usually smooth, sometimes sparsely to densely, scabrid, apex tapered, blunt, scabrid. Culm erect, internodes glabrous. Panicle (15–)20–60 mm, open, lax, oblong to pyramidal, with spreading or flexuous branches; rachis smooth, branches and pedicels smooth or scabrid. Spikelets 2–2.5(–3) mm, purplish. Glumes unequal, acute to acuminate, keel scabrid near apex, margins smooth, sometimes scabrid near apex; lower, 2–2.5(–3) mm, ovate-lanceolate, upper 1.7–2.5(–3) mm, elliptic-lanceolate. Lemma 1.5–2 mm, glabrous, faintly 5-nerved, ovate, obtuse; awn (1.5–)2–3 mm, geniculate, slightly projecting beyond glumes. Callus with minute hairs. Anthers 0.4–0.9 mm.

Similar taxa

Agrostis oresbia could be confused with A. magellanica Lam. but it is a smaller plant in all respects. It is perhaps closest to A. muelleriana Vickery from which it differs by its larger, more open, and laxer panicle, and by the glumes which are less scabrid and papillose. A. oresbia has a somewhat similar appearance to A. personata Edgar, from which it can be distinguished by its intravaginal innovations; awned lemmas; and by the abaxially smooth ligules. Palea 0.5 mm, ovate.

Distribution

Endemic. North Island (Raukumara, Ruahine and Tararua Ranges). South Island, North-West Nelson (Lake Aorere and Mt Domett only)

Habitat

A subalpine to alpine species frequenting damp seepages and water courses within tussock grassland and on rocky ground, shaded cliff faces or screes, occasionally on river flats.

Current conservation status

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2023 | Data Deficient

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

Not threatened but rather a naturally uncommon species of spradic occurrence which is why it has been listed

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Poaceae

Authority

Agrostis oresbia Edgar

Synonyms

None

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

Unknown

Fruiting

Unknown

Life cycle and dispersal

Florets are dispersed by wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Unknown but should be easy from fresh seed and rooted pieces

Other information

Etymology

agrostis: Greek name for a kind of grass

Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key

Key to the grasses of New Zealand

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.

AGRORE

Previous conservation statuses

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel 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, Sp

2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp

2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon

2004 | Sparse

Jump to current conservation status

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Edgar E, Connor HE. 2000. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. V. Grasses. Christchurch, Manaaki Whenua Press. 650 p.

Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309.

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange June 2005. Description modified from Edgar and Connor (2000).

Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.

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