Poaceae
Chionochloa

Chionochloa rubra Zotov

First published in New Zealand J. Bot. 1: 96 (1963)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is New Zealand (incl. Stewart Island). It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Butt sheaths dark brown; glabrous, or pilose; persistent and investing base of culm; with compacted dead sheaths, or dead sheaths fracturing into segments. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 100-150 cm long. Culm-internodes distally glabrous, or hirsute. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths 15-30 cm long; keeled; glabrous on surface; inner surface glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs bearded; 3 mm long. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades persistent, or deciduous with part of sheath attached; filiform; terete; 50-100 cm long; 1.2 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade surface scabrous, or papillose; rough adaxially; glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade margins smooth to scabrous; ciliate; hairy at base. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; lanceolate; 20-45 cm long. Panicle branches pubescent; hairy at tip; bearded in axils; with prominent pulvini. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 7-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.75 mm long. Floret callus elongated; 1.5 mm long; bearded; disarticulating obliquely. Floret callus hairs 4 mm long.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 7-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10-15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 0.75 mm long. Floret callus elongated; 1.5 mm long; bearded; disarticulating obliquely. Floret callus hairs 4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 10-12 mm long; 0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1-5 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 12-14 mm long; 1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3-7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; 8-9 mm long; membranous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pilose. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with lobes 3 mm long; incised 0.33 of lemma length; awned; 1 -awned, or 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; flat below; 10-13 mm long overall; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn 3 mm long. Lateral lemma awns arising on apex of lobes; 0-3.5 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 8 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on flanks. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; 1 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3.5 mm long. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Australasia: New Zealand.
Reference
Arundineae. Connor.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Common Names

English
Red Tussock

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images