| Poa clivicola | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Pooideae |
| Genus: | Poa |
| Species: | P. clivicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Poa clivicola | |
Poa clivicola, commonly known as fine-leaved snow grass, is an endangered Australian grass species, [3] restricted to alpine grassy vegetation. [4] Poa from the Greek poa (grass), clivicola- from the Latin clivus (hill) and -cola (dweller). [5]
Poa clivicola is a perennial, tufted, tussock grass, growing up to 60cm tall. [5] [3] [4] Leaf sheaths are bleached at the base, herbaceous, pallid, and glabrous. [5] [4] Leaves are tightly in-rolled, tough to the touch, and very fine at 0.2-0.4mm wide. Leaves are mostly basal. [5] Leaf-sheaths can be smooth or scaberulous and glabrous on surface. [5] Ligules are 0.5-1.5mm long, truncate and firm. [4] Panicles are open and pyramidal. Lemmas are 3-4mm long, hairless or with sparse localised hairs. [4]
Endemic to Australia, [5] P. clivicola grows well on better drained grassland slopes in Australia's alpine regions. [6] Occurring from approximately 800m to 2000m altitude. [7] [6] This species is found rarely across, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Australian Capital Territory, in grassy mountainous vegetation. [4] Particularly well growing on basaltic soils [3] and not occurring on siliceous rocks. [8] Can be found in open eucalypt woodland, swampy plain, open grassland, and frost hollows, usually in wet sites. [5]
The genus of Poa comprises important pasture plants, making P. clivicola a good provider of food for native wildlife in alpine grassy vegetation. [8] Poa grasslands also provide important habitat for native fauna species, especially for endangered and endemic butterfly species that feed only on the leaves of Poa grass. [9]
P. clivicola is listed as endangered by the State of Victoria. [1] Climate change is a big threat to the conservation of this species as it occurs rarely and only in alpine areas. This species will be affected by both changing temperatures affecting climatic conditions on mountain tops and also shrub encroachment with these warm temperatures increasing the possible range for tree and shrub species to outcompete it. [10] The small number of grass specialists in Australia and the limited knowledge behind unique features of individual Poa species means there is great uncertainty when distinguishing between them. This makes it hard to know what particular things might be changing distributions and numbers of P. clivicola without removing specimens for further investigation.
The Australian Alps montane grasslands is a montane grassland ecoregion of south-eastern Australia, restricted to the montane regions above 1300 metres .
The Cathedral Range State Park located in Victoria, Australia, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of Melbourne. It is situated between the towns of Buxton and Taggerty and runs parallel to the Maroondah Highway. The Cathedral Range was declared a State Park on 26 April 1979. It consists of 3,577 hectares and contains the rugged Razorback and spectacular peaks of the Cathedral Range, Little River and forested hills of the Blue Range. Due to its proximity to Melbourne the Cathedral Ranges are a popular destination for both day and weekend adventures. Bushwalking, camping, rock climbing and abseiling are some of the more popular activities available. Cathedral Range State Park is listed as Category II under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and is an example of a park that can be used for recreation, education and conserving natural ecosystems.
Scottsdale Reserve is a 1,328-hectare (3,280-acre) nature reserve on the Murrumbidgee River in south-central New South Wales, Australia. It is 79 kilometres (49 mi) south of Canberra, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Bredbo. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA), which purchased it in 2006. The purchase was supportive of projects aiming to connect existing fragmented remnant habitat such as K2C. Since the 1870s up until 2006, the land was used for agriculture – primarily sheep grazing with some minor cropping. A significant component of the Reserve has been cleared of native vegetation.
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial plants, most species live more than one season. Tussock grasses are often found as forage in pastures and ornamental grasses in gardens.
Gaultheria hispida, commonly known as the copperleaf snowberry, is an endemic eudicot of Tasmania, Australia. It is an erect multi-branched shrub, that can be found in wet forests and alpine woodlands. Its berries appear snowy white and leaves are tipped with a copper tinge, hence the common name.
Wahlenbergia gracilis, commonly known as Australian bluebell or sprawling bluebell is a perennial tufted herb from the family Campanulaceae. The species is widespread throughout eastern Australia, with a range from Cape York to southern Tasmania. The species is not considered at risk.
Alpine vegetation refers to the zone of vegetation between the altitudinal limit for tree growth and the nival zone. Alpine zones in Tasmania can be difficult to classify owing to Tasmania's maritime climate limiting snow lie to short periods and the presence of a tree line that is not clearly defined.
Poa labillardierei, also known as common tussock-grass, is a species of tussock grass that is endemic to Australia. It is found in southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania. There are differing variations, Poa labillardierei var. acrisVickery and Poa labillardierei var. labillardierei.
Poa ensiformis, commonly known as sword tussock-grass or purple-sheathed tussock-grass, is a species of tussock grass that is endemic to Australia.
Gonocarpus montanus is a perennial, terrestrial herb in the family Haloragacae. It is native to N.S.W, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand. Common names include mountain raspwort and mat raspwort. Its synonym is Haloragis montana.
Lomandra effusa is a perennial, dioecious, rhizomatous herb native to Australia. It is a perennial tussock with bluish green, large, arching leaves which are distinctive by the two toothed leaf tip. It has white, cream or pink fragrant flowers during the months of June to October.
Poa gunnii is a Tasmanian endemic tussock grass considered one of the most abundant and common in alpine and subalpine environments from about 800 m to above 1400 m. However it can be found to near sea level in the south of the island state where a cooler climate is prevalent. The genus Poa belongs to the family Poaceae. Tasmania has 16 native and 6 introduced species of Poa.
Trochocarpa gunnii is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a common, tall, rainforest understorey shrub with broadly oblong leaves and small, dense spikes of white, sometimes pink or red, glabrous flowers and purple to orange drupes.
Orites acicularis, commonly known as yellow bush, is an angiosperm endemic to Tasmania, Australia and is a member of the genus Orites within the family Proteaceae. The species was first described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.
Abrotanella scapigera is an endemic angiosperm of Tasmania, Australia. It is a member of the family Asteraceae, commonly found in alpine regions of northwest and south-central Tasmania. This species is named after its characteristic sparsely leaved flowering stem that distinguishes it from the other 18 species of the Genus.
The Tasmanian Central Highland forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Australia. It covers Tasmania's Central Highlands region.
Austrostipa mollis, also known as the soft speargrass or supple speargrass is a robust, erect tufted perennial speargrass in the Poaceae family. It is native to Australia, and found in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania.
Cratystylis conocephala, the blue bush daisy, blue bush, grey bush, and round leaved greybush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to southeast Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. It is a densely branched, spreading shrub. The species is listed as endangered in New South Wales and critically endangered in Victoria.
Acrothamnus montanus, also known as snow beard heath, is a native Australian bushy shrub commonly found in sub-alpine to alpine areas of southeast Australia.
Scleranthus fasciculatus, commonly known as spreading knawel, is a rare, spreading, non-woody herb found in the south-eastern states of Australia and introduced to New Zealand. The species is found in dry grassland habitats and requires the maintenance of inter-tussock spaces for its establishment and persistence. A number of anthropogenic factors have contributed to the species decline such as impacts from land clearing, road construction and maintenance, and herbicide application.