The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Poa pygmaea

Etymology

Poa: meadow grass
pygmaea: tiny

Common Name(s)

None Known

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

Authority

Poa pygmaea Buchanan

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

POAPYG

Structural Class

Grasses

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Otago (Pisa Range and Mount St Bathans).

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine in snow hollows and on lake margins

Features

Small, dull grey-green to green, much-branched, very densely packed perennial, rooting from short prostrate branches and forming compact, rigid cushions to 100 × 25 mm high, slightly overtopped by filiform flowering culms with few spikelets; branching intravaginal, new shoots with densely imbricating leaves; leaf-blades persistent. Leaf-sheath much wider than leaf-blade, pale greyish brown, membranous, glabrous, shining, ± indistinctly ribbed. Ligule 0.5-1.0 mm, apically glabrous, entire, narrowed centrally to a short point, underside sparsely to densely minutely pubescent. Leaf-blade 3-7 × 1-2 mm, stiff, inrolled, underside glabrous, ribs prominent, upper surface strongly ribbed, ribs whitish with fine minute hairs or prickle-teeth; midrib scabrid near very curved, subobtuse or occasionally acute tip. Culm 15-25 mm, internodes mainly smooth with a few minute prickle-teeth above. Panicle 5-10 mm, contracted, racemose, with 1-3 spikelets; branches and pedicels glabrous. Spikelets 4.5-5.5 mm, 2-5-flowered, light green to purplish. Glumes equal, 2.5-3.5 mm, 3-nerved, ovate-elliptic, subobtuse, smooth or rarely with a few prickle-teeth on midnerve near tip; margins entire. Lemma 3.0-3.5 mm, 5-nerved, ovate, obtuse, lower ½ with fine, often crinkled hairs on nerves and sparse somewhat shorter hairs on internerves, upper ½ sparsely scabrid on midnerve and near wide membranous margin; midnerve occasionally minutely excurrent. Palea 2.5-3.0 mm, keels ciliate, interkeel with sparse minute hairs. Callus with few long hairs. Rachilla 0.5 mm, sparsely ciliate; prolongation twice as long. Lodicules 0.4-0.6 mm. Anthers 1.2-1.6 mm. Seeds c.1.5-2.0 × 0.5 mm.

Similar Taxa

Easily recognised by the diminutive (up to 100 x 25 mm), compact, grey-green, cushion-forming growth habit; culms that scarcely over top the leaves, and panicles with obtuse lemmas whose internerves are glabrous in the upper ½ and sparsely covered with fine, usually crinkled hairs in the lower ½.

Flowering

October - November (-December)

Fruiting

December - March

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Can be grown from fresh seed and from rooted pieces in an alpine house. Dislikes humidity and drying out.

Threats

Not Threatened - but known to occupy only small areas within its few known habitats.

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 7 Jan 2014