Hierochloe brunonis
Common name
southern holy grass
Synonyms
Hierochloe antarctica var. brunonis (Hook.f.) Zotov
Family
Poaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Grasses
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
HIEBRU
Chromosome number
2n = 84
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Waipapa Point near Invercargill), Auckland Islands and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
Coastal on rocky headlands, in and around sea bird roosts and nesting grounds, near seal haul outs and amongst tussock grassland.
Detailed description
Laxly tufted grass. Leaf-sheath glabrous, keeled, ± striate. Ligule 3–5 mm, membranous, rounded, undersides hairy. Collar thick, glabrous. Leaf-blade 70–300 cm × 4–8 mm, tapering, ± strict, subconvolute, subcoriaceous, abaxially and on margins glabrous, adaxially prickle-toothed on edges of and between prominent flat-topped ribs. Culm to 500 mm, internodes glabrous. Panicle 50–120 mm, rather dense (often proliferous on Campbell Island), scarcely spreading, ± nodding; branches usually binate at nodes, glabrous, lower branches subtended by lanceolate bracts; pedicels to 5 mm, scabrid to pilose above. Glumes subequal, ovate-lanceolate, acute, membranous, almost entirely scarious, keel toothed above, 3-nerved; upper 10–14 mm. Florets included by glumes, light brown at maturity. Male floret: lemma 6–7 mm, ovate-oblong, lobes erose 2-4 mm and scarious-tipped, ± appressed long hairs on keel above shorter below, margins sparsely ciliate; awns c.6 mm, slender, ± straight, insertion c.3 mm above base; palea 5–6 mm, ciliate apex bifid, keels hairy above; lodicules 1.00–1.25 mm, ovate-lanceolate, irregularly 1–2-lobed; callus short, hairs 0.5 mm appressed; anthers 2–3.3 mm. Perfect floret: lemma 4–5 mm, broadly ovate, glabrous, appressed shortly hairy at apex with slender subapical mucro 0–1 mm; palea approximately equal to lemma, ovate-oblong, 1-keel, hairy above; lodicules 0.6–1 mm, glabrous. Anthers 1.3–2.0 mm. Ovary c. 1 mm, stigma-styles 4.5–6.5 mm; seed c.2 mm.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
Flowering
October–January
Fruiting
November–March
Life cycle
Florets are water and wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Not well known from cultivation. Plants from Campbell Island grown in Auckland (hardly any surprises here!) disliked the heat and humidity and soon died.
Threats
A local endemic, common within its preferred habitat and geographic range.
Etymology
hierochloe: From the Greek hieros ‘sacred’ and chloa ‘grass’ meaning holy grass. European species of this grass were once strewn on church floors.
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Description modified from Edgar and Connor (2000)
References and further reading
Johnson AT, Smith HA. 1986. Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd, Buckenhill, UK.
Edgar E, Connor HE. 2000. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. V. Grasses. Christchurch, Manaaki Whenua Press. 650 p.