Festuca luciarum

Festuca luciarum is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, found in the eastern North Island at higher altitudes.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1998 by Henry Connor, based on specimens collected by botanists Lucy Cranwell and Lucy Moore from Maungapohatu in Te Urewera in 1932. Connor named the species after both Cranwell and Moore.
The species is closely related to the species Festuca coxii, Festuca multinodis and Festuca ultramafica, which form the Neozeylandic clade II of Loliinae grasses.

Description

F. luciarum is a tall stoloniferous grass with long shoots that have dark violet inflorescences. There are morphological differences between different members based on which geographically separated area they are found in.

Habitat and range

The species is endemic to New Zealand, found in the inland areas of the eastern North Island, at an elevation of between.