The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Festuca luciarum

Etymology

Festuca: From the Latin festuca 'stem' or 'blade of grass'
luciarum: From the Latinised plural of Lucy, named by Henry Connor after Lucy B. Moore and Lucy Cranwell. These two women did field work together collecting this species from Maungaphouatu and were fondly referred to as the 'two Lucies' by Henry Connor and Leonard Cockayne (Connor, 1998).

Common Name(s)

Fescue

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 - RR, Sp
2009 - DP

Authority

Festuca luciarum Connor

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

None (first described in 1998)

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (eastern and inland on Raukumara Range (Mt Hikurangi, Mt Wharekia), Maungaharuru Range, and Huiarau Range (Mt Maunga-pohatu)).

Habitat

Montane to alpine. Usually rupestral on limestone cliffs, talus and rocks, and in associated tussock grasslands

Features

Short, tufted to tall stoloniferous grass; innovations extravaginal; long shoots bearing inflorescences of small panicles of few broad dark violet suffused usually patent spikelets on short prostrate to ascending culms above the shorter leaves. Leaf-sheath 20-80 mm, glabrous, striate, much wider than leaf-blade, brown and fibrous below, margins membranous; apical auricles 0.3-0.4 mm, rounded, ciliate. Ligule as for auricles. Leaf-blade 30.0-120.0 x 0.6-1.0 mm diameter; ± hexagonal, ribs evident or folded, glabrous, glaucous, upper surface and on margins covered in short antrorse hairs. Culm 40-500 mm, shoots swollen, erect or erect-ascending, usually > leaf-blades; nodes visible, internodes glabrous. Panicle 20-100 mm, with 4-7 nodes, 5-20 spikelets; branches erect or weakly spreading, usually solitary, basal branch 20-50 mm of 1-4 spikelets, uppermost 4-5 spikelets solitary on short pedicels; rachis mostly glabrous and frequently tortuous below, branches and pedicels usually prickle-toothed. Spikelets 8-12 x 4-7 mm, of 4-10 florets, glaucous, dull violet suffused, imbricate, becoming evidently patent at anthesis and up to 10 mm wide. Glumes unequal, keeled, narrowing to become acute or acuminate, smooth but occasionally prickle-toothed on keels, apex with long cilia, margins shortly or conspicuously long ciliate; lower 2.6-3-4 mm, l-nerved, upper 3-6 mm, 3-nerved, nerves sometimes evident. Lemma 5-7 mm, lobes 0 or very short, 5-nerved, slightly keeled above, inrolled, ± prickle-toothed throughout or short stiff hairy and prickle-toothed; awn 0-1 mm; apex of lowest lemma usually awnless and often long (0.3-0.5 mm) ciliate. Palea 5.5-7.0 mm, usually > lemma, apex deeply (0.3-1.0 mm) bifid, keels toothed in upper 1/3 occasionally more, interkeel hairs above, margins of flanks ciliate. Callus 0.2-0.3 mm, shortly stiffly bearded throughout; articulation oblique. Rachilla 0.75-1.50 mm, with short prickle-teeth or stiff hairs. Lodicules 1.0-1.4 mm, greater than or equal to ovary, lobed, glabrous. Anthers 2.0-3.5 mm. Ovary 1 mm, turbinate, hispid hairs at apex or glabrous; stigma-styles 1.75-3.00 mm. Seed 3 mm.

Flowering

Unknown

Fruiting

Unknown

Propagation Technique

Unknown. In Auckland plants were easily grown from rooted pieces but did not flower and appeared to dislike drought or humidity.

Threats

Range Restricted, naturally uncommon endemic known from a few widely scattered sites at high altitudes in the eastern North Island. The species is still very poorly known but is currently believed to be secure at all its known sites.

Chromosome No.

2n = 56

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Florets are dispersed by wind, water and attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 30 Jul 2015