Previously known as Stipa arundinacea, Agrostis lessoniana and others, but is now the only species of grass in Anemanthele. Endemic to New Zealand. A tufted grass, forming a round mound, with very fine flower inflorescences.
As with all tussock-forming grasses, established plants provide a sheltered microhabitat for overwintering beneficial insects such as ladybirds. Increasingly it is being found outside of gardens but generally in brownfield sites, where they pose relatively little ecological risk.