Chemical composition of new zealand tall-tussocks (chionochloa)

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Abstract
Minerals, nitrogen, structural carbohydrates, and lignin analyses from field collections of four species of high country tall-tussocks, species of Chionochloa, are reported. Differences among species were found for cellulose and hemicellulose, and values for these were higher than is common in pasture grasses. In C. macra and C. rubra cellulose: hemicellulose ratios were equal to 1.0, a condition not common to herbaceous plants. C. rubra was highest in estimated lignin. Substantial intraspecific ranges for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg occurred. Nitrogen rarely exceeded \% and was lowest in C. rubra. There were significant interspecific differences for P, K, Ca, and Mg; P was higher in C. macra and C. rigida than in C. flavescens and C. rubra; K and Mg were lower in C. rubra than in other species; for Ca there was a clear differentiation C. flavescens>C. rigida~> C. macra> C. rubra. In the field survey C. macra was significantly higher in total ash than other species. Silicon reached almost 2% in a field sample of C. macra, a value twice that of other species, but was not conspicuously higher in garden conditions. C. rubra contained less Al than other species both in the field and in the uniform environment gardens. Variation in the frequency with which tall-tussocks are grazed by stock may be related to differences in mineral composition within species. Differences between species in acceptability to stock appear to be related to differences in mineral and lignin composition.

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