Poa antipoda
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Detailed description
Soft, ± drooping, light green stoloniferous perennial tufts, c. 20-600 mm rooting at nodes; branching extravaginal; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath light green to light brown, submembranous, distinctly ribbed, glabrous. Ligule 1.0–4.5 mm, entire, apically glabrous, gradually narrowed and subacute, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade 75.–250 × 2–4.5 mm, flat, soft, smooth almost throughout but minutely scabrid abaxially near straight-sided narrow acute tip and adaxially just above ligule. Culm 80–500 mm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 50–15- mm, ± lax and usually open with spreading branches; rachis usually ± smooth, branches ± smooth to sparsely scabrid. Spikelets 4–6 mm, 2-4-flowered, brownish green. Glumes ± unequal, narrow-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous, apart from a few prickle-teeth on midrib in upper ½; lower 1.5–3.0 mm, 1-nerved, upper 2.0–3.5 mm, 3-nerved. Lemma 2.5–5.0 mm, 3–5-nerved, ± elliptic, acute, with long hairs on lower ½ of midnerve and at base of lateral nerves and fine prickle-teeth on midnerve above, internerves glabrous or sometimes slightly scabrid near tip. Palea 2–4 mm, keels shortly ciliate-scabrid, interkeel glabrous. Callus with narrow tuft of long fine hairs. Rachilla 0.5 mm, glabrous; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.4-0.5 mm. Anthers 0.5–1 mm. Seeds not seen.
Distribution
.Endemic. New Zealand: Stewart Island/Rakiura (Herekopere Island), Antipodes Islands, Auckland Island, and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
Coastal on cliffs and rock outcrops; inland on damp banks, and in herbfield.
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
Threats
Not threatened. Listed because it is a narrow range endemic which is naturally uncommon throughout its known range.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–November
Fruiting
Seed not yet seen.
Propagation technique
Difficult in warmer climates. Rather slow growing.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available
Etymology
poa: Meadow grass
antipoda: Named after the Antipodes i.e. Australia or New Zealand which are on the opposite side of the world from Europe
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.
POAANT
Chromosome number
2n = 28
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: RR, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Edgar E, Connor HE. 2000. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. V. Grasses. Manaaki Whenua Press, Christchurch, NZ. 650 p.
Attribution
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.