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  4. Poa incrassata

Poa incrassata

Old Man Range.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved.
Poa incrassata.<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>
Poa incrassata.<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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Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Grasses

Flower colours

Violet/Purple

Detailed description

Diminutive, blue-green to grey-green, stoutly tufted, perennial grass 50–150 mm tall; branching extravaginal at plant base, intravaginal above; leaf-blades long peristent. Leaf-sheath lustrous, greenish or reddish purple, later light grey-brown, membranous, glabrous, ribs conspicuous. Ligule 0.2–0.7 mm, apically glabrous, entire, rounded centrally narrowed to a point, lower surface minutely papillose. Leaf-blade 10–90 × 0.6–2 mm, usually folded, underside smooth, though scabrid on midrib near curved apex, upperside glabrous through shortly hairy above ligule, occasionally with a few prickle-teeth on midrib, lateral ribs indistinct; margins inrolled, shortly prickle-toothed. Culm 20–160 mm, internodes usually short-scabrid below panicle, sometimes smooth. Panicle 5–30 mm, compact, spike-like or racemose (pendulous), rarely open with a few rather short branches; rachis and branches stiff, angular, densely scabrid, spikelets few on scabrid pedicels. Spikelets 2.5–3.5 mm, 2–4-flowered, light green tinged maroon or purple. Glumes subequal, 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous, with sparse prickle-teeth on nerves in upper half; lower glume occasionally smaller 1–1.5 mm, 1–3-nerved, narrow- to ovate-elliptic, subobtuse to obtuse, upper 3-nerved, ovate, obtuse. Lemma 2.2.5 mm, 5–7-nerved, ovate, strongly folded about midnerve, obtuse, cucullate, minutely papillose or finely scabrid near distinctly membranous margin, midnerve scabrid towards apex. Callus glabrous. Anthers 0.2–0.5 mm, purple. Ovary 0.4–0.5 mm; stigma styles 0.75–1.1 mm. Seed 1–1.3 × 0.5 mm.

Similar taxa

The stout, tufted, glaucous to reddish-purple tinged leaves and panicles, and diminutive over all stature easily distinguish this species from other New Zealand Poa. It is perhaps most likely to be confused with P. sublimis Edgar which has somewhat a similar coloration and overall stature. However, P. incrassata differs from that species by its scabrid, short, stiff panicle branches and spikelet pedicels.

Distribution

Endemic. South Island Central and western Otago to north eastern Southland. Also on Stewart Island/Rakiura and Auckland Islands.

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine (> 1100 m a.s.l.) in damp ground within herbfield, fell field and open, windswept, poorly drained short tussock grassland.

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

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

A high elevation species that appears to be secure over its known range. Populations tend to be small and scattered but this appears to be natural rather than induced. It status on the Auckland Islands is unclear though its small size has undoubtedly meant that it has been overlooked both there and in the South and Stewart Islands.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Poaceae

Authority

Poa incrassata Petrie

Synonyms

Poa kirkii var. incrassata (Petrie) Zotov; Poa exigua Hook.f.

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

December–January

Fruiting

January–March

Propagation technique

Can be grown in a small pot but dislikes humidity and should be kept in a cool place with some air movement. Will not flower in lowland situations without some form of cold treatment.

Other information

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

Plant of the Month

This plant has been featured as a Plant of the Month – see Trilepidea: NZPCN newsletter for July 2013 for the full story.

Etymology

poa: Meadow 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.

POAINC

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 | Sparse

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.

Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NR, NS, NStr, RR, Sp, St, TL

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

Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by Peter J. de Lange (2 June 2006). 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.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Poa incrassata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/poa-incrassata/ (Date website was queried)

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