The following list of grasses and grass-like herbs can be readily grown in New Zealand gardens:
Anemanthele lessoniana
Common name: Gossamer grass
Family: Poaceae
Status: At Risk – Relict
Apodasmia similis
Common name: Jointed wire rush, oioi
Family: Restionaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Arthropodium cirratum
Common name: Renga lily, Rengarenga, Rock lily
Family: Asparagaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Astelia banksii
Common name: Coastal astelia, shore kowharawhara
Family: Asteliaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Astelia chathamica
Common name: Chatham Island astelia or kakaha, Moriori flax
Family: Asteliaceae
Status: At Risk – Recovering
Astelia fragrans
Common name: Bush flax, bush lily, kakaha
Family: Asteliaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Astelia grandis
Common name: Swamp astelia
Family: Asteliaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Machaerina teretifolia
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Bolboschoenus fluviatilis
Common name: Marsh clubrush, kukuraho, purua grass
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex albula
Common name: White Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable
Carex buchananii
Common name: Buchanans sedge, cutty grass
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: At Risk – Declining
Carex chathamica
Common name: Chatham Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
Carex comans
Common name: Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex dissita
Common name: Forest Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex flagellifera
Common name: Glen Murray tussock, Trip Me Up
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex petriei
Common name: Petrie’s Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex testacea
Common name: Speckled Sedge, Trip Me Up
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex trifida
Common name: Mutton-bird Sedge, Tataki
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex secta
Common name: Purei, Pukio, Niggerhead
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex virgata
Common name: Swamp sedge, pukio, toitoi, toetoe
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Chionochloa bromoides
Common name: Coastal Tussock, Seabird Tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
Chionochloa conspicua subsp. conspicua
Common name: Hunangamoho, broad-leaved bush tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Chionochloa flavescens subsp. flavescens
Common name: Broad-leaved snow tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Chionochloa rigida subsp. rigida
Common name: Narrow-leaved snow tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Chionochloa rubra subsp. rubra var. rubra
Common name: Red tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Austroderia richardii
Common name: Toetoe
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Austroderia splendens
Common name: Toetoe
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Austroderia turbaria
Common name: Chatham Island toetoe
Family: Poaceae
Status: Threatened – Nationally Endangered
Ficinia spiralis
Common name: Pingao, golden sand sedge, pikao
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: At Risk – Declining
Dianella nigra
Common name: Turutu, New Zealand blueberry, inkberry
Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Earina autumnalis
Common name: Easter orchid, raupeka
Family: Orchidaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Eleocharis sphacelata
Common name: Kutakuta, spikes of doom, bamboo spike sedge, tall spike sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Anthosachne solandri
Common name: Native wheatgrass, blue wheatgrass
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Festuca coxii
Common name: Cox’s fescue
Family: Poaceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
Festuca novae-zelandiae
Common name: Fescue tussock, hard tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Gahnia lacera
Common name: Cutty grass
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Gahnia xanthocarpa
Common name: Gahnia, mapere
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Hierochloe redolens
Common name: Holy grass, karetu
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Juncus edgariae
Common name: Wiwi, Edgars rush
Family: Juncaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Juncus pallidus
Common name: Giant rush, leafless rush
Family: Juncaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Lepidosperma australe
Common name: Square sedge, square-stemmed sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Libertia peregrinans
Common name: New Zealand iris, mikoikoi
Family: Iridaceae
Status: Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable
Luzula rufa var. rufa
Common name: Red woodrush
Family: Juncaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Machaerina sinclairii
Common name: Machaerina
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Microlaena avenacea
Common name: Bush rice grass, oat grass
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Microlaena stipoides
Common name: Meadow rice grass, slender rice grass
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. hirtellus
Family: Poaceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri
Common name: Mountain flax, wharariki
Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Phormium tenax
Common name: Flax, harakeke, korari (maori name for inflorescence).
Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Poa anceps
Common name: Broad-leaved poa
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Poa cita
Common name: Silver tussock
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani
Common name: Kuawa
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Schoenus pauciflorus
Common name: Bog rush, sedge tussock
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Typha orientalis
Common name: Raupo, bullrush
Family: Typhaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Carex egmontiana
Common name: Bastard Grass, Hook Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Xeronema callistemon f. callistemon
Common name: Poor Knights Lily, Raupo-Taranga
Family: Xeronemataceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
To view other groups of garden plants follow these links: