The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Poa billardierei

Etymology

Poa: meadow grass
billardierei: Named after Jacques Houttou de Labillardiere (1755-1834), 19th century French botanist who described several New Zealand plants

Common Name(s)

Sand tussock, hinarepe

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Declining

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 - Declining
2004 - Gradual Decline

Qualifiers

2012 - SO
2009 - SO

Authority

Poa billardierei (Spreng.)St.-Yves

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

POABIL

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

Festuca littoralis Labill.; Schedonorus littoralis (Labill.) P.Beauv.; Triodia billardierei Spreng.; Poa billardierei (Spreng.)St.-Yves; Schedonorus billardiereanus Nees; Arundo triodioides Trin.; Schedonorus littoralis var. alpha minor Hook.f.; Austrofestuca littoralis (Labill.) E.B.Alexev.

Distribution

North Island, South Island, Chatham Island (apparently absent from Chatham Island now despite being formerly abundant). Also found in temperate Australia.

Habitat

Coastal dunes; sandy and rocky places near the shore, especially foredunes and dune hollows.

Features

Yellow-green tussocks up to about 70 cm tall. Leaves fine, rolled, somewhat drooping (coarser than silver tussock), initially green, often fading at tips to silver, and drying to golden-straw colour. Seed heads no longer than leaves; seeds relatively large, barley-like, leaving a characteristic zig-zag look to the remaining head when fallen. Flowers in early summer and the seed are produced in late summer. It could be confused with Poa chathamica which has blue-green or grass-green flat leaves and an open seed head which overtops the foliage. It could also be confused with marram grass which has similar foliage but large cat’stail-like seed heads which overtop the foliage.

Similar Taxa

Ammophila arenaria (marram grass) is often confused with sand tussock because they grow in the same habitat.

Flowering

Early summer

Fruiting

Mid to late summer

Propagation Technique

Collect seed in mid to late summer-autumn (early January in Wellington). Use fresh seed, sow in free-draining seed-raising mix (50:50 peat:sand), cover lightly with sieved river sand. It should germinate within 2 months. Grow on in open position where they will not be waterlogged. When growing by division collect matrial in autumn (after flowering has finished) or spring (before new growth appears). Use vigorous pieces from outside of plant and do not make divisions too small. Water regularly until established and new growth appears. Plant out in well-drained soil in open situation.

Threats

Mammalian grazing and browsing (palatable to sheep, cattle, goats and horses). Competition from marram grass. Coastal development and use of vehicles. The combined impact of browsing and competition from marram grass is believed to have caused the loss of the species from the Chatham Islands.

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Florets are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 10 May 2014