The silky seed heads of this grass waft above neighbouring plantings in the Terrace Garden.
The Terrace Garden contains representative species from New Zealand, including Austroderia fulvida. A member of the grass family, Poaceae, this is a tussock-forming species with slender, arching, narrow leaf blades with a rough surface and hairy leaf margins. The culm, or stem, can reach over 3m in height and each culm bears a single feathery plume comprised of numerous spikelets. This species is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand, where it grows from coastal to montane regions, and is tolerant of a range of climatic conditions. It has been used in habitat restoration projects for stabilising streamsides and roadside verges, though there are concerns about its vigour in areas in which it doesn’t naturally occur. In its native New Zealand it has the common name kakaho.