The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Chionochloa spiralis

Etymology

Chionochloa: snow grass
spiralis: From the Latin spira 'coil' or 'twist' and -alis 'resembling', resembling a twist or corkscrew, spiral-shaped

Common Name(s)

Fiordland Snow Tussock, Spiral-leaved Snow Tussock

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Range Restricted

Qualifiers

2012 - PD, RR

Authority

Chionochloa spiralis Zotov

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CHISPI

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

None (first described in 1963)

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Fiordland (Takahe Valley (Murchison Mountains); Lake Monk (Cameron Mountains); Mt Luxmore (Kepler Mountains).

Habitat

Upper montane to subalpine. On and around limestone bluffs, talus and associated soils.

Features

Slender tussock with narrow leaves falling and leaving inwardly spiralling sheaths. Sheaths to 200 mm, glabrous, pale, chartaceous, spiralling and breaking into short segments, margin hairy above, apical tuft to 3 mm. Ligule to 1 mm. Lamina to 500 × 1 mm, acicular junceous, veins few, falling with part of sheath, abaxially with occasional long (2 mm) hairs below, adaxially with dense weft of long (3 mm) hairs at base projecting over smooth margin, scattered prickle teeth above. Culm to 650 mm, internodes glabrous. Inflorescence to 120 mm, narrow, glabrous except for occasional long hairs at axils. Spikelets of up to 7 florets. Glumes glabrous, > adjacent lemma lobes, acute or shortly awned; lower to 12 mm, 3-nerved, upper to 13 mm, 3-5-nerved. Lemma to 5 mm; hairs dense on margin fewer aside central nerve, glabrous or sparsely hairy elsewhere, < sinus; lateral lobes up to 4.5 mm, long triangular-acute; central awn up to 13 mm divergent from 2.5 mm flat column. Palea to 6 mm. Callus 0.5 mm, hairs to 3 mm. Rachilla to 0.8 mm. Lodicules to 0.75 mm. Anthers to 4 mm. Ovary to 0.75 mm, stigma-styles to 4.5 mm. Seeds not described.

Flowering

November - Janaury

Fruiting

January - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and from rooted pieces but very slow to establish. Prefers a damp soil, and is best grown in semi-shaded conditions. In the northern part of its New Zealand this species rarely flowers.

Threats

Naturally Uncommon. A narrow range endemic of limestone substrates within Fiordland National Park. Known populations are small and some are being impacted upon by deer. However, there is insufficient evidence to satisfactorily assess this species as being threatened. Further field work and monitoring to resolve this uncertainity is much desired

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 2 Jun 2014