Flora of New Zealand Series

≡F. ovina subsp. novae-zelandiae Hack., T.N.Z.I. 35: 384 (1903)

≡F. ovina var. novae-zelandiae (Hack.) Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Fl. 917  (1906)

≡F. ovina subsp. novae-zelandiae var. eu-novae-zelandiae Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 63 (1928) nom. invalid.

≡F. ovina subsp. novae-zelandiae var. novae-zelandiae subvar. novae-zelandiae (autonym Howarth 1928 op. cit. p. 64); 

Holotype: W 8150! T. F. Cheeseman Slopes of Mt Torlesse, Canterbury, 3000 ft, Jan 1880 (No 1497 to Hackel).

=F. ovina subsp. novae-zelandiae var. novae-zelandiae subvar. pruinosa Howarth, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 48: 64 (1928); 

Lectotype: K! A. Wall Mt Herbert, 2000 ft, growing alongside No. 7 (designated by Connor 1998 op. cit. p. 361).

F. novae-zelandiae J.B.Armstr., N.Z. Country J. 5: 57 (1881); 

nomen nudum.

fescue tussock, hard tussock

Short tawny tussock with fine harshly scabrid rolled leaf-blades and inflorescences with small spikelets in ± appressed branches on rachides covered with small prickle-teeth. Prophyll 3-6 cm, red-brown, keels antrorsely toothed, scattered hairs on flanks; margin glabrous, membranous. Branching intravaginal. Leaf-sheath 5-25 cm, stramineous, striate, minutely scabrid or glabrous, margin mem-branous sometimes undulating; apical auricles 0.4-1.5 mm, unequal, rounded or acute, hairy, margins ciliate. Ligule = auricles, shortly triangular. Leaf-blade 10-40 cm × 0.4-0.7-(1.0) mm diam., terete, pointed, abaxially beset with small antrorse prickle-teeth, adaxially and on margins antrorsely short white hairy; TS: 5 vascular bundles, sclerenchyma usually continuous but frequently in 7 strands, occasionally various, costal sclerenchyma infrequent. Culm 20-100 cm, usually exceeding leaf-blades; nodes glabrous, concealed, brown; internodes antrorsely prickle-toothed, upper node often ensheathed. Panicle 5-25 cm, with (5)-6-9-(10) nodes, 15-25-30 spikelets, often included by leaves; branches solitary ascending, often naked below, sometimes binate, basal branch (2)-5-7-(10) cm of 3-6-(10) spikelets, uppermost 4-6 spikelets solitary on short pedicels; rachis, branches and pedicels abundantly shortly (0.05 mm) prickle-toothed on all surfaces. Spikelets 8-15 mm × 2.5-3 mm, 4-8 florets. Glumes unequal, keeled above, prickle-toothed on keel and above, centrally green-brown, pale stramineous elsewhere, thin, nerves evident, margin ciliate; lower 2.5-5.5 mm, 1-nerved, long triangular almost awned, upper 3.0-6.8 mm, 3-nerved, narrowly ovate, acute. Lemma 4-6 mm, lobes minute, rounded, prickle-toothed above and on margins below sometimes below on outermost nerve; awn 0-3 mm. Palea 4-6.5 mm, ≥ lemma, acute, shortly (0.1-0.3 mm) bifid, keels toothed in upper ½-⅔, interkeel hairs in upper ¼, margins of flanks with small hairs almost to base. Callus 0.1-0.4 mm, bearded on margins; articulation ± flat. Rachilla 0.75-1.5 mm, dense short stiff antrorsely hairy. Lodicules 0.5-1 mm, lobed, usually hair-tipped. Anthers 2-4 mm, yellow. Gynoecium: ovary 0.7 mm, turbinate, apex with hispid hairs; stigma-styles 1.0-1.75 mm. Caryopsis 2-3.8 mm; embryo 0.5 mm; hilum ± 2 mm. 2 n = 42. Fig. 6. Plate 1C.

N.: central Volcanic Plateau, Ruahine Range, Taranaki (Pouakai Range and Ahukawakawa Swamp); S.: Nelson uncommon, Marlborough to Southland east of Main Divide, occasional in Fiordland; St.: uncommon. Tussock grasslands and river beds; sea level to 1700 m.

Endemic.

Leaf-blades lacking antrorse prickles are uncommon, but in Taranaki in the Ahukawakawa Swamp, Pouakai Range, dominated by Chionochloa rubra var. inermis, F. novae-zelandiae usually has smooth leaf-blades, e.g., CHR 86390 A. P. Druce 1958, CHR 86511 A. P. Druce 1960, CHR 116688 A. P. Druce 1968; CHR 86127 A. P. Druce 1955 has more scabrid leaves than the others. The panicle rachis may appear to have smaller teeth than modally, but the pattern is as elsewhere.

On 8 Feb. 1910 D. Petrie collected Festuca at 4000 ft on Gordons Knob, Gordon Range, Nelson which is represented by WELT 68772, WELT 68798, CHR 1505 with a Petrie label, CHR 1525 and AK 152716. All appear to be parts of one specimen. Leaf-blades are smooth to very lightly scabrid. The culm is prickle-toothed sometimes slightly so; the rachis and branches bear some of the prickles characteristic of F. novae-zelandiae but never at the customary density; the lemma is typical of F. novae-zelandiae. The adaxial surface of the glumes is covered by very short white hairs - a condition unrecorded elsewhere.

No status is accorded to the high altitude ecotype discussed by Connor, H. E. N.Z. J. Bot. 6: 295-308 (1968), and Scott, D. N.Z. J. Bot. 8: 76-81 (1970).

This species in earlier times was discussed under the binomial Festuca duriuscula non L.

Fig. 6 Festuca novae-zelandiae S, spikelet, × 10; G 1, G 2, glumes, × 15; L, lemma, × 15; P, palea dorsal view, × 15; Lo, lodicules, × 25; O, ovary, styles and stigmas, × 25; St, stamens, × 25. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X7X]