''Astelia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific,

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to

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 ...

and to the southernmost tip of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. A significant number of the known species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

., search for "Astelia" The species generally grow in forests, swamps and amongst low alpine vegetation; occasionally they are

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

Species

The genus is divided into a number of subgenera and these are further divided into sections. These contain the following species: * subgenus ''Astelia'' ** section ''Astelia'' *** ''

Astelia alpina ''Astelia alpina'' called pineapple grass, silver astelia, or perching lily is a commonly found species in alpine and subalpine areas of Tasmania and the Australian Alps.Pickering, C.M., Jordan, M., and Hill, W. (2004) "Sexual dimorphism and sex ...

'' R.Br. - Pineapple Grass, Silver Astelia, native to eastern Australia **** ''Astelia alpina'' var. ''alpina'' **** ''Astelia alpina'' var. ''novae-hollandiae'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia papuana ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' Skottsb.- native to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

*** ''

Astelia linearis ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' Hook.f.- native to North and South Islands of New Zealand **** ''Astelia linearis'' var. ''linearis'' **** ''Astelia linearis'' var. ''novae-zelandiae'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia subulata ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' (Hook.f.) Cheesem. - native to South Island + Antipodean Islands of New Zealand ** section ''Palaeastelia'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia hemichrysa ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' (Lam.) Kunth - native to

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

* subgenus ''Asteliopsis'' Skottsb. ** section ''Desmoneuron'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia solandri ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' A.Cunn. - native to North and South Islands of New Zealand *** ''

Astelia trinervia ''Astelia trinervia'' is a species of rhizomatous tufted perennial native to New Zealand. An example occurrence of this species is in the North Island's Hamilton Ecological District, where it occurs in the understory associated with ''Blechnum d ...

'' Kirk - native to North Island and north-west South Island of New Zealand *** ''

Astelia nadeaudii ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' Drake - native to Tahiti + Raiatea in French Polynesia *** ''Astelia raiateensis'' J.W.Moore - see ''

'' ** section ''Isoneuron'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia banksii ''Astelia banksii'' is an evergreen silver-green plant from the beaches of New Zealand. It likes it best in partial shade and in infertile and well-drained soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean m ...

'' A.Cunn. - Native to North Island of

*** ''

Astelia neocaledonica ''Astelia neocaledonica'' is a rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks ...

'' Schltr. - endemic to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. * subgenus ''Collospermum'' Skottsb. *** '' Astelia hastata'' Colenso -

- formerly ''Collospermum hastatum'' (Colenso) Skottsb. *** '' Astelia microsperma'' Colenso - North Island of

- formerly ''Collospermum microspermum'' (Colenso) Skottsb. *** '' Astelia montana'' Seem. -

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

and

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

- formerly ''Collospermum montanum'' (Seem.) Skottsb. *** '' Astelia samoense'' (Skottsb.) Birch -

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

- formerly ''Collospermum samoense'' Skottsb. *** ''Astelia spicata'' Colenso, formerly ''Collospermum spicatum'' (Colenso) Skottsb., would fall into this subgenus but was rejected by Birch as a species. * subgenus ''Tricella'' Skottsb. ** section ''Tricella'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia australiana ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' (J.H.Willis) L.B.Moore - Tall Astelia, native to the State of Victoria in Australia *** ''

Astelia chathamica ''Astelia chathamica'', the Chatham Islands kakaha, Maori flax, or silver spear, is a species of flowering plant in the recently named family Asteliaceae. It is an evergreen silver-green perennial from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, growing ...

'' (Skottsb.) L.B.Moore - Silver Spear, native to

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

of New Zealand *** '' Astelia fragrans'' Col. - Bush Flax, Bush Lily, Kakaha, native to North and South Islands of New Zealand *** '' Astelia graminea'' L.B.Moore- native to northern South Island of New Zealand *** '' Astelia grandis'' Hook.f. ex Kirk- native to North and South Islands of New Zealand *** '' Astelia nervosa'' Banks & Sol. ex Hook.f.- Mountain Astelia, native to North and South Islands of New Zealand *** '' Astelia nivicola'' Ckn. ex Cheesem. - native to South Island of New Zealand **** ''Astelia nivicola'' var. ''nivicola'' **** ''Astelia nivicola'' var. ''moriceae'' L.B.Moore *** '' Astelia petriei'' Ckn. - native to South Island of New Zealand *** ''

Astelia psychrocharis ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans, as well as to Australia and to the southern ...

'' F.Muell. - Kosciusko Pineapple Grass, native to Mt. Kosciusko in Australia *** ''

Astelia skottsbergii ''Astelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the recently named family Asteliaceae. They are rhizomatous tufted perennials native to various islands in the Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic ...

'' L.B.Moore - native to north-west South Island of New Zealand ** section ''Periastelia'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia argyrocoma ''Astelia argyrocoma'' is a species of astelia endemic to the highlands of Kauaʻi in the state of Hawaii, United States. This plant is found only in native Hawaiian tropical rainforests The Hawaiian tropical rainforests are a tropical moist ...

'' A.Heller ex Skottsb. - native to

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

Island in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

*** ''

Astelia menziesiana ''Astelia menziesiana'' is a species of plant in the family Asteliaceae that is Endemism, endemic to the state of Hawaii in the United States. Hawaiian names for the plant are kaluaha, paʻiniu, or puaʻakuhinia. It is a non-woody, clumping plan ...

'' Sm. in A.Rees - native to

*** '' Astelia rapensis'' Skottsb. - native to Rapa-Iti Island in French Polynesia *** '' Astelia tovii'' F.Br. - Marquesas in French Polynesia *** ''

Astelia waialealae ''Astelia waialealae'' is a rare species of plant in the Asteliaceae family that is endemic to the island of Kauai of the state of Hawaii in United States. It inhabits montane bogs within the vicinity of the Alakai Swamp on the island's centra ...

'' Wawra - native to Kauai Island in

** section ''Micrastelia'' Skottsb. *** ''

Astelia pumila ''Astelia pumila'' is a species of flowering plant in the recently named family Asteliaceae. It is an evergreen silver-green perennial from western Patagonia in southern Chile and nearby areas of Argentina. It grows in forests as well as wetland ...

'' (J.R.Forst.) Gaudich. - native to western Patagonia,

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...

and

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

References

* Asparagales genera Asteliaceae Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Taxa named by Daniel Solander Taxa named by Joseph Banks {{Asparagales-stub