Astelia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of rhizomatous tufted perennials in the family Asteliaceae

Asteliaceae

Asteliaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.The family has only recently been recognized by taxonomists. The APG III system of 2009 does recognize this family...

 which are native to the Pacific region as well as the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

, Réunion

Réunion

Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...

 and Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

. The species generally grow in forests, swamps and amongst low alpine vegetation; occasionally they are epiphytic.

According to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families , the family contains the following species:

• Astelia alpina R.Br. - Pineapple Grass, Silver Astelia, native to Australia
• Astelia argyrocoma A.Heller ex Skottsb.
• Astelia australiana (J.H.Willis) L.B.Moore - Tall Astelia, native to Australia
• Astelia banksii A.Cunn. - Native to New Zealand
  New Zealand
  New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
  
  
• Astelia chathamica (Skottsb.) L.B.Moore - Silver Spear, native to New Zealand
• Astelia fragrans Col. - native to New Zealand
• Astelia graminea L.B.Moore- native to New Zealand
• Astelia grandis Hook.f. ex Kirk- native to New Zealand
• Astelia hemichrysa (Lam.) Kunth - native to Réunion
  Réunion
  Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
  
  
• Astelia linearis Hook.f.- native to New Zealand
• Astelia menziesiana Sm. in A.Rees
• Astelia nadeaudii Drake (syn. Astelia raiateensis) – native to Papua New Guinea
• Astelia neocaledonica
  Astelia neocaledonica
  Astelia neocaledonica is a rhizomatous tufted perennial which is endemic to New Caledonia. The species produces clusters of mauve berries between October and November in the species native range....
  
  Schltr. - endemic to New Caledonia
  New Caledonia
  New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
  
  .
• Astelia nervosa Banks & Sol. ex Hook.f.- native to New Zealand
• Astelia nivicola Ckn. ex Cheesem. - native to New Zealand
• Astelia papuana Skottsb.- native to Papua New Guinea
  Papua New Guinea
  Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
  
  
• Astelia petriei Ckn. - native to New Zealand
• Astelia psychrocharis F.Muell. - Kosciusko Pineapple Grass, native to Australia
• Astelia pumila (J.R.Forst.) Gaudich.
• Astelia raiateensis J.W.Moore - see Astelia nadeaudii
• Astelia rapensis Skottsb.
• Astelia skottsbergii L.B.Moore - native to New Zealand
• Astelia solandri A.Cunn. - native to New Zealand
• Astelia subulata (Hook.f.) Cheesem. - native to New Zealand
• Astelia tovii F.Br.
• Astelia trinervia
  Astelia trinervia
  Astelia trinervia is a species of rhizomatous tufted perennials which is native to New Zealand. An example occurrence of this species is on North Island's Hamilton Ecological District where A. trinervia occurs in the understory associated with Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor and overstory forest...
  
  Kirk - native to New Zealand
• Astelia waialealae
  Astelia waialealae
  Astelia waialealae is a rare species of plant in the Asteliaceae family that is endemic to the island of Kauai of the state of Hawaii in United States. It inhabits montane bogs within the vicinity of the Alakai Swamp on the island's central plateau. A. waialealae is threatened by habitat loss and...
  
  Wawra - native to Hawaii
  Hawaii
  Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...