Forest Vines to Snow Tussocks: The Story of New Zealand Plants
Cushion Moorland
Cushion Moorland 145
.jpg)
Figure 114 Close up of cushion moorland. A silvery cushion of
Anisotome imbricata surrounded by species of
Dracophyllum and
Raoulia.
Photo: J. W. Dawson.
In this type of vegetation small cushion plants are characteristic, with Dracophyllum muscoides the most common, but also the silvery Raoulia hectorii, Anisotome imbricata (Umbelliferae) with dense silver-grey hairs (Fig. 114) and Phyllachne rubra. Small rosette herbs grow in and between the cushions including Anisotome lanuginosa (also with dense matted silver-grey hairs obscuring the leaves) and the small spaniard Aciphylla hectorii. A few small grasses, sedges and luzulas of the rush family may also be present, and small grey lichens are often an important component.
As a result of freeze/thaw action the surface of the cushion moorland is often shaped on level areas into a very regular pattern of hummocks and hollows, which tend to elongate into alternating ridges and trenches on slopes.