The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Poa aucklandica subsp. aucklandica

Etymology

Poa: meadow grass
aucklandica: of the Auckland Islands

Common Name(s)

Auckland Island Poa

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 - IE, OL
2009 - IE

Authority

Poa aucklandica Petrie subsp. aucklandica

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

Poa kirkii var. aucklandica (Petrie) Zotov

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: Auckland Islands.

Habitat

Upland herbfield and rock crevices

Features

Tufted, dull green, slenderly laxly tufted rhizomatous perennial with narrow, ± erect leaves, ± reaching top of culms; branching extravaginal at plant base, intravaginal above; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath glabrous, very light green or pale brown, membranous, shredding into fibres. Ligule 1.0-1.3 mm long, apically glabrous, ± obtuse and slightly erose, abaxially slightly scabrid. Leaf-blade 40.0-160.0 × 0.5-c.1.5 mm, flaccid, soft, flat to folded, underside smooth, upper surface minutely ciliate-scabrid on ribs; margins and midrib smooth, tip curved. Culm slender, 45-300 mm long, internodes usually slightly scabrid below panicle. Panicle 30-80 mm long, lax, with few large spikelets borne singly at tips of filiform, finely scabrid branches. Spikelets 4.5-8.0 mm long, 3-5-flowered, brownish green or greenish purple. Glumes subequal, oblong-elliptic, acute, smooth, but occasionally scabrid on midnerve near tip; lower 3.5-5.0 mm , 3-nerved, upper 4.0-5.5 mm, 3-(5)-nerved. Lemma 4.0-5.5 mm, oblong-elliptic, acute; 5-7-nerved, nerves minutely scabrid with a few short hairs near base of midnerve and outer lateral nerves, internerves glabrous, often scabrid towards tip, midnerve occasionally very shortly excurrent. Palea 3.0-4.5 mm long, minutely closely scabrid on keels, smooth elsewhere. Callus with very small tuft of long crinkled hairs. Rachilla c. 1 mm, sparsely scabrid; prolongation to twice as long. Lodicules 0.5-0.7 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.7 mm long. Seeds1.5 × 0.7 mm.

Similar Taxa

Allided to Poa aucklandica subsp. campbelliensis (Petrie) Edgar and P. aucklandica subsp. rakiura Edgar. The first subspecies is confined to the Campbell Islands and differs by its smaller tufted habit, with culms up to 100 cf. 300 mm tall in subsp. aucklandica, more closely packed culms, smaller ligule (up to 1.0 cf. 1.3 mm) and leaves (up to 50 mm cf. 160 mm) which are stiff and inrolled rather than flat or folded, smaller panicle (up to 50 mm cf. 80 mm), unequal rather than subequal glumes and other minor differences in the glume ornamentation, lemma, palea and anther size ranges. Poa aucklandica subsp. rakiura differs by its restriction to Mt Anglem, Stewart Island, by its slender, laxly tufted habit, taller culms (up to 500 cf. 300 mm), occasionally finely pubescent-scabrid leaf-sheath, longer leaves (up to 200 cf. 160 mm), smaller panicle up to 75 cf. 80 mm, unequal glumes, and other minor differences in the glume ornamentation, lemma, palea and anther size ranges.

Flowering

Unknown - insufficiently studied and collected

Fruiting

Unknown - insufficiently studied and collected

Propagation Technique

Unknown.

Threats

Not Threatened. Listed because it is a narrow range island endemic abundant within its known habitats

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 7 Jan 2014