''Alexfloydia'' is a genus of

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

grasses Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

in the panic grass subfamily of the

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

grass family. This genus is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to coastal eastern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. There is one known species, ''Alexfloydia repens''. This genus was named in honour of the species discoverer, Australian botanist

Alexander Floyd Alexander Geoffrey Floyd (1 April 1926 – 12 December 2022) was an Australian botanist with an expert knowledge of rainforest plants, particularly the rainforest trees of New South Wales. He has worked with the New South Wales Forestry Commis ...

(1926-2022).

Habitat and distribution

''Alexfloydia repens'' is a spreading, mat-forming grass found on the margins of brackish and tidal waterways in areas flooded by unusually high tides (called "

king tide A king tide is an especially high spring tide, especially the perigean spring tides which occur three or four times a year. King tide is not a scientific term, nor is it used in a scientific context. The expression originated in Australia, Ne ...

s"). The species forms a groundcover associated with the tree species ''

Casuarina glauca ''Casuarina glauca'', commonly known as swamp she-oak, swamp buloke, swamp she-oak, marsh sheoak, grey she-oak, grey she-oak, native pine, or guman by the Gadigal people, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to eastern Australia. It ...

'' and the Endangered Ecological Community Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest. Currently this grass is known only from a few locations in the

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

region.

Status

This species is listed as Endangered on the schedules of the NSW ''Threatened Species Act''.

Ecology

''Alexfloydia repens'' is the sole larval food plant for the endangered Black grass-dart butterfly ('' Ocybadistes knightorum'') (Lambkin & Donaldson, 1994).

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2202305, from2=Q24700083 Panicoideae Monotypic Poaceae genera Poales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Endemic flora of Australia Endangered flora of Australia

Habitat and distribution

Status

Ecology

See also

References