Southland Montane Grasslands
The Southland montane grasslands, also known as the South Island montane grasslands, is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on New Zealand’s South Island. The ecoregion covers the middle portion of the Southern Alps, and includes extensive alpine grasslands, fellfields, and montane forests. Geography The Southern Alps extend for 500 km, running northeast–southwest down the length of the South Island. Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,754 m), New Zealand's highest peak, is in the Southern Alps. Rainfall is high along the western slope of the mountains, while the eastern slopes are generally drier. Flora Alpine grassland, also known as tussock herbfield, is the dominant plant community in the ecoregion. Alpine grasslands grow above the treeline at approximately 1200 meters elevation. Tussock grasses, mostly of genus ''Chionochloa'', are characteristic. These grasses are mostly long-lived slow-growing perennials. The broadleaved snow tussock ('' Chionochloa flavescens'') and '' ...
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Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand. Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, and the eponymous village lie within the park. The area was gazetted as a national park in October 1953 and consists of reserves that were established as early as 1887 to protect the area's significant vegetation and landscape. Even though most of the park is alpine terrain, it is easily accessible. The only road access into Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is via , which starts near Twizel, at distance the closest town to the park, and leads directly to Mount Cook Village, where the road ends. The village is situated within the park, however, it consists only of a hotel and motels, as well as housing and amenities for the staff of the hotel and motels and other support personnel. Geography The park stretches for about along the southwest–northeast direction of the Southern Alps, covering on the southeastern side of the main spine of the Alps. The ...
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Ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation (largely undefined at this point). Three caveats are appropriate for all bio-geographic mapping approaches. Firstly, no single bio-geographic framework is optimal for all taxa. Ecoregions reflect the best compromise for as many taxa as possible. Se ...
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Ranunculus Lyallii
''Ranunculus lyallii'' (Mountain buttercup, Mount Cook buttercup, or, although not a lily, Mount Cook lily), is a species of ''Ranunculus'' (buttercup), endemic to New Zealand, where it occurs in the South Island and on Stewart Island at altitudes of 700–1,500 m.Ranunculaceae Society''Ranunculus lyallii''Alpine Plants of New Zealand/ref> ''R. lyallii'' is the largest species in the genus ''Ranunculus'', growing over a meter in height. The species was discovered by David Lyall, (1817–1895), a noted Scottish botanist and doctor. Contemporary botanist Sir Joseph Hooker, (1817–1911), noted in his ''Flora Antarctica'': Among his many important botanical discoveries in this survey was that of the monarch of all buttercups, the gigantic white-flowered Ranunculus lyallii, the only known species with peltate leaves, the 'water-lily' of the New Zealand shepherds.--Joseph Dalton Hooker (1895) 33 ''Journal of Botany'', p. 209. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 60–100&n ...
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Ranunculus
''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe, North America and South America. The familiar and widespread buttercup of gardens throughout Northern Europe (and introduced elsewhere) is the creeping buttercup ''Ranunculus repens'', which has extremely tough and tenacious roots. Two other species are also widespread, the bulbous buttercup ''Ranunculus bulbosus'' and the much taller meadow buttercup ''Ranunculus acris''. In ornamental gardens, all three are often regarded as weeds. Buttercups usually flower in the spring, but flowers may be found throughout the summer, especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonizers, as in the case of garden weeds. The water crowfoots (''Ranunculus'' subgenus ''Batrachium''), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes tr ...
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Carex
''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' may be called true sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of ''Carex'' is known as caricology. Description All species of ''Carex'' are perennial, although some species, such as '' C. bebbii'' and '' C. viridula'' can fruit in their first year of growth, and may not survive longer. They typically have rhizomes, stolons or short rootstocks, but some species grow in tufts (caespitose). The culm – the flower-bearing stalk – is unbranched and usually erect. It is usually distinctly triangular in section. The leaves of ''Carex'' comprise a blade, which extends away from the stalk, and a sheath, which encloses part of the stalk. The blade is normally long and flat, but may be folded, inrolled, c ...
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Aciphylla
''Aciphylla'' is a genus of about 40 species of plants in the family Apiaceae, endemic to New Zealand and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma .... They generally grow as tall spikes surrounded by rosettes of stiff, pointed leaves. Some species are known as Spaniard Grass. References External links * Apioideae Apioideae genera {{Apiaceae-stub ...
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Chionochloa Crassiuscula
''Chionochloa'' is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island (part of Australia). Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass. Most of the species in the genus grow in clumps, some up to 1.5 m tall. Red tussock dominates the tall tussock grasslands on the volcanic mountains of the North Island of New Zealand and can also be found in areas on the northern half of the South Island. Snow tussock, of which there are several species, can be found above the tree line together with other species. ; Species ; formerly included see ''Rytidosperma ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

Chionochloa Rigida
''Chionochloa rigida'', known commonly as narrow-leaved snow tussock and by its Māori name wī kura, is a species of tussock grass endemic to New Zealand. Two subspecies are recognised, including ''Chionochloa rigida rigida'' and ''Chionochloa rigida amara''. Distribution Found throughout the lower half of the South Island, from Banks Peninsula and east of the Southern Alps through to Southland. The subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ... ''C. rigida amara'' has a more western distribution and is found south of around 43°S in the Southern Alps. Habitat Prefers montane to low alpine zones, but is known to descend to sea level in Otago. Prefers drier soils. Conservation The narrow-leaved snow tussock is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN an ...
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Chionochloa Pallens
''Chionochloa'' is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island (part of Australia). Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass. Most of the species in the genus grow in clumps, some up to 1.5 m tall. Red tussock dominates the tall tussock grasslands on the volcanic mountains of the North Island of New Zealand and can also be found in areas on the northern half of the South Island. Snow tussock, of which there are several species, can be found above the tree line together with other species. ; Species ; formerly included see ''Rytidosperma ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

Chionochloa Flavescens
''Chionochloa flavescens'', known as broad-leaved snow tussock or haumata in Māori. Endemic to New Zealand, there are several different sub species that look very similar. The leaves which are up to one centimetre wide is larger than most tussocks similar to it. The flower-plumes of about 30 cm appear around December/January and are quite open compared to ''C. conspicua'' and '' C. flavicans''. Subspecies The four subspecies are subsp. ''flavescens'', subsp. ''brevis'', subsp. ''hirta'' and subsp. ''lupeola''. The most commonly cultivated form is ssp. ''brevis'' from the South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman .... References flavescens Bunchgrasses of Australasia Endemic flora of New Zealand Grasses of New Zealand Flora of the North Island Flo ...
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Chionochloa
''Chionochloa'' is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island (part of Australia). Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass. Most of the species in the genus grow in clumps, some up to 1.5 m tall. Red tussock dominates the tall tussock grasslands on the volcanic mountains of the North Island of New Zealand and can also be found in areas on the northern half of the South Island. Snow tussock, of which there are several species, can be found above the tree line together with other species. ; Species ; formerly included see ''Rytidosperma ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

Treeline
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowpack, or associated lack of available moisture). The tree line is sometimes distinguished from a lower timberline, which is the line below which trees form a forest with a closed Canopy (biology), canopy. At the tree line, tree growth is often sparse, stunted, and deformed by wind and cold. This is sometimes known as ''krummholz'' (German for "crooked wood"). The tree line often appears well-defined, but it can be a more gradual transition. Trees grow shorter and often at lower densities as they approach the tree line, above which they are unable to grow at all. Given a certain latitude, the tree line is approximately 300 to 1000 meters below the permanent snow line and roughly parallel to it. Causes Due to their vertical structure, tree ...
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