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  4. Rytidosperma merum

Rytidosperma merum

Florets (adaxial view (L), abaxial view (R)). Springvale, near Alexandra.<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>
Springvale, near Alexandra.<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>
Springvale, near Alexandra.<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>
Inflorescence (part). Springvale, near Alexandra.<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>
Caryopsis. Springvale, Alexandra.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved.
Sutton Salt Lake, April.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <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

Detailed description

Rather fine-leaved, densely tufted, light green, shortly rhizomatous grass. Older growth distinctly straw-coloured, with long, drooping or trailing culms; leaves very much less than culms; branching extra or intervaginal. Leaf-sheath pale stramineous, glabrous with a sparse apical tuft of hairs up to 1.5 mm long. Ligule 0.1–0.2 mm. Leaf-blade 250–400 mm, more or less flat, glabrous, occasionally with a few sparse, scattered hairs, margins scabird. Culm very slender, tawny with smooth internodes otherwise minutely scabrid belwo inflorescence, elongating to 0.14 m (or more) at maturity. Inflorescence a raceme or racemose panicle with 1–2 short branches at base, slender to 80 mm, comprising few narrow, sessile to subsessile spikelets; rachise and pedicels finely scabrid with longer fine hairs on margins especially below spikelets. Spikelets 4–6-flowered, awns exserted from glumes. Glumes light green, occasionally purplish, lanceolate, subobtuse 7–15 mm, more or less equal, 5–7-nerved. Lemma 2.5–4 mm, 7–9-nerved, upper row of hairs in small marginal tufts only, about equal to lemma or occasionally with upper tufts absent, lower row in small marginal tufts only, or a few small tufts or single hairs on margin; lobes 3–8.5 mm, soon tapering to a fine awn; central awn 6.5–14 mm, column 2.5–3.5 mm. Palea 2.5–5 mm, > upper lemma hairs, interkeel and margins glabrous. Callus 0.6–1 mm, marginal hair tufts rarely reaching base of lower lateral tufts. Rachilla 0.5–0.6 mm. Anthers 0.3–1.5 mm. Seed 1.7–2.5 × 0.9–1.2 mm.

Similar taxa

One of the more distinctive species in Rytidosperma. Most frequently confused with the naturalised R. racemosum (R.Br.) Connor et Edgar from which it differs by the much shorter leaves than culms, finer leaves, long, drooping and trailing culms, and by the lemma hairs in two pairs of marginal tufts, rarely with a few single hairs in a lower row, and by the short, stout, callus up to 1 mm long. In R. racemosum the lemma hairs form a continuous lower row, and an interrupted, tufted, upper row, and the callus is long (up to 1.5 mm) and distinctly narrower than in R. merum.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Kaingaroa Plains and Kaimanawa Mountains, eastern Wairarapa and Aorangi Range), South Island (Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago—near Alexandra and Sutton Salt Lakes, Middlemarch).

Habitat

Lowland to montane (100–800 m a.s.l.) in dry sites, usually in open short-tussock grassland but also on rock outcrops.

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 – Declining | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

Not known to be threatened but apparently very uncommon throughout its range. Can be very common at the few sites it is known from.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Poaceae

Authority

Rytidosperma merum Connor et Edgar

Synonyms

Austrodanthonia mera (Connor et Edgar) H.P.Linder

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–December

Fruiting

November–April

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Dislikes humidity.

Other information

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

Etymology

rytidosperma: Wrinkled seed

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.

RYTMER

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 – Declining | Qualifiers: DP, Sp

2012 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DP, Sp

2009 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: DP

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 | Threatened – Regionally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NR, NStr, PF, RR

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.

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