Simplicia buchananii
Common names
simplicia
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Flower colours
Green
Detailed description
Weakly erect to scrambling or loosely tufted, slender grass forming patches up to 1 m across and 0.5 m tall. Leaf-sheath membranous, strongly ribbed, mostly scabrid on ribs; basal sheaths dark brown, pubescent, upper sheaths glabrous or pubescent. Ligule 2–4 mm, erose, undersides glabrous. Leaf-blade 100–200 × 1.5–4.0 mm, smooth or finely scabrid on ribs; margins finely scabrid, apex acuminate. Culm internodes glabrescent or finely pubescent. Panicle 40–180 mm long, ± linear; rachis glabrous, branches short or long, mostly erect, basal 1 or 2 sometimes reflexed, sometimes basal branches widely spreading; glabrous, bearing spikelets almost to base, pedicels short, glabrous, ± appressed to branchlets. Spikelets 2.8–3.0 mm, 1–(2)-flowered, lanceolate, light green. Glumes glabrous, ovate-lanceolate to ovate, acute to subacute, margins ciliate; lower 0.7–1.0 mm, upper 1.0–1.5 mm. Lemma mostly equivalent in length to spikelet, scabrid or shortly pubescent, 3-nerved or with 2 additional fainter lateral nerves, ovate-lanceolate, acute to mucronate, or with a subapical awnlet. Palea 2.3–2.7 mm, 1–2-nerved, scabrid. Rachilla prolongation 0.5 mm long, glabrous. Anthers 0.7–1.3 mm long, purplish or yellow. Seed 1.5 mm long.
Similar taxa
Simplicia laxa and S. felix mainly differ by their more or less pyramidal rather than mostly linear inflorescence of S. buchananii. Simplicia laxa and S. felix have spreading to reflexed rather than contracted inflorescence branches. The lemma of S. buchananii is scabrid, in S. laxa it is shortly pubescent and in S. felix it is minutely scabrid.
Distribution
Endemic to New Zealand. Known from three sites in the southern North Island near Taihape, and from North West Nelson, in the South Island.
Habitat
Exact preferences unclear, though a preference for base-rich substrates and semi-shaded situations in forest or near rock overhangs is evident. In the South Island it has usualyl been collected on or near limestone or marble outcrops in lowland to montane forest. The recently (2005) discovered North Island site differs somewhat in that plants grow in and around the bases of titoki (Alectryon excelsus Gaertn. subsp. excelsus) trees on river terraces. However, even here the underlying substrate is calcareous mudstones and siltstones
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT, RR
Threats
A local endemic which can apparently be locally common but most sites are very small. However, only one South Island population is currently known and the status of other populations in NW Nelson needs examination.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Poa uniflora Buchanan, Simplicia laxa var. buchananii Zotov
Taxonomic notes
nrDNA ITS sequences show that both S. buchananii and S. laxa have hybrid origins.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(September)–November–(Febaruary)
Fruiting
(October)–January– (May)
Propagation technique
Very easy from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Can be grown from node cuttings. Does best in pots. Unlike S. laxa, this species flowers easily in cultivation, setting abundant seed, which in turn germinates easily. However, it is very short-lived, and plants need to be divided and repotted frequently to maintain them.
Other information
Etymology
buchananii: Named after John Buchanan (13 October 1819-1898) who was a New Zealand botanist and scientific artist and fellow of the Linnean Society.
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.
SIMBUC
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange PJ, Smissen RD, Rolfe JR, Ogle CC. 2016. Systematics of Simplicia Kirk (Poaceae, Agrostidinae) – an endemic, threatened New Zealand grass genus. PhytoKeys 75: 119–144.
Zotov, V. D. 1971. Simplicia T. Kirk (Gramineae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 9: 539-544.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (27 october 2009). Description adapted from Zotov 1971.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Simplicia buchananii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/simplicia-buchananii/ (Date website was queried)