rendzina, a dark, interzonal type of soil found in grassy or formerly grassy areas of moderate rainfall, on limestones, especially in chalklands. It is characterized by a brown to black, friable surface and a light grey or yellow, soft underlying horizon. Such soils are associated with terra rossa soils of Coonawarra in south australia. See geology.
© Jancis Robinson and Oxford University Press 1994, 1999, 2006, 2015