The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Tussock grasslands

The tussock grasslands of New Zealand form expansive and distinctive landscapes mainly in South Island but also on the central plateau of the North Island and along parts of the axial range. The tussock grasses include grass species of Chionochloa, Festuca and Poa and some Carex sedges. Grasses of the genus Chionochloa dominate New Zealand's tussocklands. Chionochloa rubra subsp. rubra var. rubra (left) and Festuca novae-zelandiae (right). Photos by Jeremy Rolfe.

Chionochloa rigida subsp. rigida. Photographer: John Barkla.

For more information see:

• Tussock grassland management information system
• Te Ara Encyclopedia
• Conservation status of NZ's tussock grasslands
• Tussock grassland communities in the Mackenzie country, South Canterbury, New Zealand (Henry Connor, NZ Journal of Botany: 2, p 325-351
• Tussock grasslands (Wikipedia)
• New Zealand tussock grasslands (Wikipedia)
• Sheep in the tussock grasslands by B.H. Hercus - Proceedings of the NZ Ecological Society
• Tussock grasslands in the middle Rakaia Valley, Canterbury, New Zealand by Henry Connor - NZ Journal of Botany 3: 261 - 2763

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This page last updated on 2 Oct 2012