The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Chionochloa oreophila

Etymology

Chionochloa: snow grass
oreophila: Mountain lover

Common Name(s)

mountain snow tussock, snow patch grass

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Chionochloa oreophila (Petrie) Zotov

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CHIORE

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

Danthonia oreophila Petrie; Danthonia pallida Petrie

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (East and West of Main Divide from Nelson to Fiordland).

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine. Inhabiting tussock grasslands, snow hollows and banks

Features

Small, pale tussock with persistent sheaths, and leaves very much shorter than slender flowering culms. Leaf-sheath to 50 mm, pale, shiny, glabrous, chartaceous, persistent, margins undulating, apical tuft of hairs to 3 mm. Ligule 0.5-1.0 mm. Leaf-blade to 150 × 2 mm, U- or V-shaped, persistent, spiralling, pointed, narrower than sheath, keeled, veins few, abaxially with prickle-teeth in upper 1/3, long interrib hairs frequent; adaxially with scattered prickle-teeth; margins with prickle-teeth below becoming glabrous above. Culm to 300 mm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 60 mm, up to 8 spikelets on flexuous, pulvinate branches, glabrous except for few long hairs at branch axils and below spikelets. Spikelets small, solitary, of up to 6 purpled or golden florets. Glumes ± equal, to 10 mm, apex sometimes shortly awned, > adjacent lemma lobes; lower 3-5-nerved, upper 5-7-nerved, margin often long hairy below. Lemma to 4.5 mm; hairs long on margins, few aside central nerves and often few in all internerves, < sinus; lateral lobes to 4.5 mm including awn to 2.5 mm, or shortly acute-triangular; central awn to 5.5 mm reflexed from flat 1.5 mm column. Palea to 5.5 mm. Callus to 1.5 mm, hairs to 2.5 mm. Rachilla to 0.75 mm. Lodicules to 0.6 mm. Anthers to 2.5 mm. Ovary to 0.7 mm; stigma-styles to 3 mm. Seeds to 2 mm

Flowering

October - November

Fruiting

November - March

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Prefers a permanently damp, acidic soil and semi-shade. Plants must never be allowed to dry out.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 42

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 15 Aug 2014