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: rengarenga, renga lily, 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, Chatham Island 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: Buchanan’s 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
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: pīngao, 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, māpere
Family: Cyperaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Hierochloe redolens
Common name: holy grass, karetu
Family: Poaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Juncus edgariae
Common name: wiwi, Edgar’s 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: Asphodelaceae
Status: Not Threatened
Phormium tenax
Common name: flax, harakeke, kōrari (Māori name for inflorescence).
Family: Asphodelaceae
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: raupō, 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, raupō-Taranga
Family: Xeronemataceae
Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
To view other groups of garden plants follow these links: