The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Chionochloa teretifolia

Etymology

Chionochloa: snow grass
teretifolia: From the Latin teres 'rounded' and folium 'leaf', meaning terete-shaped leaf. Terete is the opposite to angular and is used in contradistinction when speaking of long bodies, such as stems or leaves.

Common Name(s)

terete-leaved snow tussock

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 teretifolia (Petrie) Zotov

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CHITER

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

Danthonia teretifolia Petrie

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Fiordland and Southland).

Habitat

Lowland to alpine in grassland and herbfield overlying leached or podzolised hill slope or peaty soils

Features

Small, sparsely tufted tussock with distinctly pale shoots arising from darkened persistent sheaths, and with deciduous, twisted hairy leaves. Leaf-sheath up to 150 mm, pale green, sometimes reddened or purpled, persistent, interribs hairy, apical tuft of hairs to 2.5 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Leaf-blade to 400 × 1 mm, acicular junceous, disarticulating at ligule, abaxially with long (1.5 mm) white, antrorse, hairs aside evident main nerve or between all nerves below, adaxially clothed in dense antrorse short (0.5 mm) hairs becoming sparser; margin with long hairs below becoming smooth above. Culm to 500 mm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 150 mm, open, pulvinate, long hairy, branches flexuous. Spikelets few, solitary, of up to 6 purpled florets. Glumes < adjacent lemma lobes; lower to 14 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 16 mm, 5-nerved. Lemma to 6 mm, purpled; hairs dense at margins and sparse aside central nerve rarely elsewhere, greater than or equal to sinus; lateral lobes to 6 mm including awn to 3 mm; central awn to 11 mm from twisting column to 4 mm. Palea to 8 mm. Callus to 1 mm, hairs to 2.5 mm. Rachilla to 1 mm. Lodicules to 2 mm. Anthers to 4.5 mm. Ovary to 1 mm; stigma-styles to 2.5 mm. Seeds to 2.5 mm

Flowering

October - December

Fruiting

December - April

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