Chionochloa teretifolia
Common names
terete-leaved snow tussock
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Detailed description
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.
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.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Danthonia teretifolia Petrie
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–December
Fruiting
December–April
Life cycle and dispersal
Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available.
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.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
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
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 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
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.