Chionochloa teretifolia
Common name
terete-leaved snow tussock
Synonyms
Danthonia teretifolia Petrie
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.
CHITER
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). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By 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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Fiordland and Southland).
Habitat
Lowland to alpine in grassland and herbfield overlying leached or podzolised hill slope or peaty soils
Features
Small, sparsely tufted tussock with distinctly pale shoots arising from darkened persistent sheaths, and with deciduous, twisted hairy leaves. Leaf-sheath up to 150 mm, pale green, sometimes reddened or purpled, persistent, interribs hairy, apical tuft of hairs to 2.5 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Leaf-blade to 400 × 1 mm, acicular junceous, disarticulating at ligule, abaxially with long (1.5 mm) white, antrorse, hairs aside evident main nerve or between all nerves below, adaxially clothed in dense antrorse short (0.5 mm) hairs becoming sparser; margin with long hairs below becoming smooth above. Culm to 500 mm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 150 mm, open, pulvinate, long hairy, branches flexuous. Spikelets few, solitary, of up to 6 purpled florets. Glumes < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 14 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 16 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 6 mm, purpled; hairs dense at margins and sparse aside central nerve rarely elsewhere, greater than or equal to sinus; lateral lobes to 6 mm including awn to 3 mm; central awn to 11 mm from twisting column to 4 mm. Palea to 8 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 2.5 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm. Lodicules to 2 mm. Anthers to 4.5 mm. Ovary to 1 mm; stigma-styles to 2.5 mm. Seeds to 2.5 mm
Flowering
October - December
Fruiting
December - April
Life cycle
Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Etymology
chionochloa: Snow grass
teretifolia: From the Latin teres ‘rounded’ and folium ‘leaf’, meaning terete-shaped leaf. Terete is the opposite to angular and is used in contradistinction when speaking of long bodies, such as stems or leaves.
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange June 2005. Description modified from Edgar and Connor (2000)
References and further reading
Edgar, E.; Connor, H.E. 2000: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. V. Grasses. Christchurch, Manaaki Whenua Press. 650 pp.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309