Pentapogon crinitus
Common name
long-hair plume grass
Synonyms
Anthoxanthum crinitum L.f., Dichelachne forsteriana Trin. et Rupr., Deyeuxia crinita (L.f.) Zotov, Dichelachne crinita (L.f.) Hook.f.
Family
Poaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
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.
DICCRI
Chromosome number
2n = 70
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
Indigenous. Throughout North, South, Stewart, Chatham and Kermadec Islands. Also in Australia and most of the Pacific Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine. Usually in open ground under light scrub, under light forest cover, in tussock grassland, on clay pans and along roadsides. Also frequently encountered on rock outcrops, in associated talus, on boulderfield and as an urban weed of rough pasture, kerbsides and industrial wasteland.
Features
Light green to yellow-green, stout, tall tufted grass. Branching extravaginal. Leaves less than or equal to the erect to somewhat nodding narrow plumed culms. Leaf-sheath light brown, with minute, soft, appressed, retrorse hairs. Ligule 0.5-1.5 mm, membranous, undersides minutely scabrid, more or less truncate, minutely ciliate, occasionally asymmetric. Leaf-blade up to 400 x 1.5-5.0 mm, stiff, flat or slightly inrolled, gradually tapering, strongly ribbed, underside scabrid near apex, upper surface minutely scabrid on margins and ribs. Culm 0.3-1.2 m, internodes glabrous or minutely scaberulous below panicle. Panicle 100-250 mm, erect, spicate, light green to straw-yellow, often tinged with purple, densely branched, close-set, erect branches hidden by spikelets pulled together by entwining awns; rachis, branchlets and pedicels closely short-scabrid; spikelets, numerous, glossy. Glumes very narrow, linear-lanceolate, silvery; lower 4.5-9.0 mm, more or less equal to glume, shortly aristate, upper 5.5-10.0 mm long, equal to or greater than lemma, apex acuminate. Lemma 4.5-8.0 mm long, minutely scabrid, apex scarcely bifid; awn 20-30 mm, light green to purple, inserted 1.5-3.0 mm below lemma apex, column straight, awn more or less falcate and twisted about once. Palea 3-5 mm long, very narrow, keels minutely scabrid near ciliate apex. Callus hairs to 0.7 mm. Rachilla prolongation 0.1 mm long. Lodicules 0.5-0.7 mm long, membranous, elliptic, acute, apically ciliate. Anthers 1-3, 0.7-2.0 mm in opened flowers, 0.2-0.9 mm long in cleistogamous flowers. Seed 2.0-2.5 x 0.3-0.4 mm.
Similar taxa
Allied to the naturally uncommon, range restricted Pentapogon lautumia from which it differs by the callus hairs with are less than 1 mm long (greater than or equal to 3 mm long in P. lautumia), awns 20-30 mm rather than 8-12 mm long, and by the straight rather than twisted column.
Flowering
September - February
Fruiting
October - July
Life cycle
Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed. Easily established and can become invasive. The stiffly erect, dense whitist-yellow plume like flower heads can be rather attractive if grown in mass.
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
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
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pentapogon crinitus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pentapogon-crinitus/ (Date website was queried)