Chionochloa howensis is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. The specific epithet derives from the name of the island to which it is endemic. The species was first discovered by John Pickard in 1970. Its affinities lie with Chionochloa flavicans of New Zealand and not with Australian species of Chionochloa.[1]

Chionochloa howensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Chionochloa
Species:
C. howensis
Binomial name
Chionochloa howensis
Jacobs (1988)[1]

Description edit

It is an erect perennial grass, growing to about 1 m in height. The leaf blade is 60 cm or more long and 12 mm wide; it is flat, strongly ribbed, and scabrous on the upper surface.[1]

Distribution and habitat edit

The grass is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea; it is known only from the cliffs of Mounts Lidgbird and Gower at the southern end of the island.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d " Chionochloa howensis ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-02.