Chionochloa

Chionochloa
Chionochloa
Tussock in New Zealand
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Chionochloa
Species
  • C. australis
  • C. conspicua
  • C. crassiuscula
  • C. flavescens
  • C. flavicans
  • C. macra
  • C. oreophila
  • C. pallens
  • C. rigida
  • C. rubra

Chionochloa is a genus of tussock grass in the Poaceae family, containing mainly species of grass endemic to New Zealand such as snow tussock (e.g. Chionochloa conspicua), red tussock and hunangamoho. Most of the 24 species in the genus grow in clumps, some up to 1.5 m tall.

Red tussock dominates the tall tussock grasslands on the North Islands volcanic mountains and can also be found in areas on the northern half of the South Island. Snow tussock, of which there are several species, can be found above the tree line together with other species.

Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass or its ellipsis of snowgrass tussock.[1]

References

  1. ^ Orsman, H. W. (1999). The Dictionary of New Zealand English. Auckland: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-558347-7. 


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