Austroderia

Toetoe
Austroderia toetoe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Danthonioideae
Tribe: Danthonieae
Genus: Austroderia
N.P.Barker & H.P.Linder
Type species
Austroderia richardii
(Endl.) N.P.Barker & H.P.Linder
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Kampmannia Steud. 1853, illegitimate homonym not Raf. 1808 (Rutaceae)

Austroderia is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe (from Māori).[3] The species are A. toetoe, A. fulvida, A. splendens, A. richardii and A. turbaria. They were recently reclassified in 2011 from the genus Cortaderia,[4][5] although their distinctiveness had been recognized as early as 1853.[6]

Two closely related South American species are Cortaderia jubata and C. selloana (Pampas Grass), which have been introduced to New Zealand and are often mistaken for toetoe. These introduced species tend to take over from the native toetoe and are regarded as invasive weeds. Among the differences between Pampas, Toetoe has a drooping flower head, a cream coloured plume, and the leaves do not break when tugged firmly. Toetoe also has a white, waxy bloom on the leaf-sheath and conspicuous veins between the midrib and leaf margin.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference s was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ The International Plant Names Index, search for Kampmannia
  3. ^ a b Toetoe, hosted on the NZ Landcare research Maanaki Whenua website. Page accessed 20 November 2010.
  4. ^ Barker, Nigel P. & Linder, Hans Peter 2010. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 97(3): 343–344 in English with short Latin diagnosis
  5. ^ "Austroderia fulvida syn. Cortaderia fulvida". The Native Plant Centre Ltd. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  6. ^ Steudel, Ernst Gottlieb von 1853. Synopsis Plantarum Glumacearum 1: 34–35