New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
  • Member login
  • Join
Facebook
  • Home
  • Flora
    • Flora species
    • Vascular
    • Non Vascular
    • Plant identification
    • Fungi
    • Make your own book
    • Quiz
  • Threats
    • Exotic Plants (Weeds)
    • Pest Animals
    • Other threats
  • Ecosystems
    • Plant communities
    • Ecosystem services
    • Novel ecosystems
  • Publications
    • Documents
    • Newsletter
    • Plant lists
    • Botanical Society journals
    • NZPCN publications
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
    • Training
    • Restoration
    • Monitoring
    • Habitat protection
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
  • NZPCN
    • News
    • Trilepidea newsletter
    • Events
    • Members
    • Council members
    • Awards
    • Shop
    • Donate
    • Favourite Plant
    • Why join NZPCN?
    • Join
  • Help
    • FAQ
    • Query
    • Glossary
  • Contact us
  • Settings
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
      • Project 1 - Pohutukawa, Rata and Myrtaceae
      • Project 2 - Alpine flora and the Forget-Me-Nots
      • Project 3 - Kowhai and its relatives
      • Project 4 - Podocarps and trees of the forest
    • Training
      • Module 1: Plant life
      • Module 2: Covenants
      • Module 3: Propagation
      • Module 4: Wetlands
      • Pilot course 2006
    • Restoration
      • Gardening
        • Being weed wise
        • Garden plants
          • Trees and shrubs
          • Broad-leaved herbs
          • Grass-like herbs
          • Climbers
          • Ferns
        • Attracting wildlife
        • Planting for lizards
          • Rules
      • Species recovery
        • Plant translocations
      • Ecological restoration
        • Case studies
          • Tavora Reserve
          • Waiwhakareke
      • Revegetation
      • Eco-sourcing
      • Find a restoration group
    • Monitoring
      • Number count
        • Number count method
        • Pros and cons of number counts
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Presence/absence surveys
        • Presence/absence survey methods
        • Pros and cons of presence/absence surveys
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Mapping spatial extent
        • Spatial extent mapping methods
        • Pros and cons of spatial extent mapping
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Photo points
        • Photo point guidelines
    • Habitat protection
      • Legal protection
        • Nga Whenua Rahui
        • QEII covenants
        • DOC Covenants
      • Animal pest control
      • Weed control
      • Fencing
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
You are here:
  1. Home
  2. Conservation
  3. Restoration
  4. Gardening
  5. Garden plants
  6. Grass-like herbs

Grasses and grass-like (monocot) herbs

The following list of grasses and grass-like herbs can be readily grown in New Zealand gardens:

Anemanthele lessoniana

Anemanthele lessoniana

Common name: gossamer grass

Family: Poaceae

Status: At Risk – Relict

Apodasmia similis

Apodasmia similis

Common name: jointed wire rush, oioi

Family: Restionaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Arthropodium cirratum

Arthropodium cirratum

Common name: rengarenga, renga lily, rock lily

Family: Asparagaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Astelia banksii

Astelia banksii

Common name: coastal astelia, shore kowharawhara

Family: Asteliaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Astelia chathamica

Astelia chathamica

Common name: Chatham Island astelia, Chatham Island kakaha, Moriori flax

Family: Asteliaceae

Status: At Risk – Recovering

Astelia fragrans

Astelia fragrans

Common name: bush flax, bush lily, kakaha

Family: Asteliaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Astelia grandis

Astelia grandis

Common name: swamp astelia

Family: Asteliaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Machaerina teretifolia

Machaerina teretifolia

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Bolboschoenus fluviatilis

Bolboschoenus fluviatilis

Common name: marsh clubrush, kukuraho, purua grass

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex albula

Carex albula

Common name: white sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable

Carex buchananii

Carex buchananii

Common name: Buchanan’s sedge, cutty grass

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: At Risk – Declining

Carex chathamica

Carex chathamica

Common name: Chatham sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon

Carex comans

Carex comans

Common name: sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex dissita

Carex dissita

Common name: forest sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex flagellifera

Carex flagellifera

Common name: Glen Murray tussock, trip me up

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex petriei

Carex petriei

Common name: Petrie’s sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex testacea

Carex testacea

Common name: speckled sedge, trip me up

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex trifida

Carex trifida

Common name: mutton-bird sedge, tataki

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex secta

Carex secta

Common name: purei, pukio

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex virgata

Carex virgata

Common name: swamp sedge, pukio, toitoi, toetoe

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Chionochloa bromoides

Chionochloa bromoides

Common name: coastal tussock, seabird tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon

Chionochloa conspicua subsp. conspicua

Chionochloa conspicua subsp. conspicua

Common name: hunangamoho, broad-leaved bush tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Chionochloa flavescens subsp. flavescens

Chionochloa flavescens subsp. flavescens

Common name: broad-leaved snow tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Chionochloa rigida subsp. rigida

Chionochloa rigida subsp. rigida

Common name: narrow-leaved snow tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Chionochloa rubra subsp. rubra var. rubra

Chionochloa rubra subsp. rubra var. rubra

Common name: red tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Austroderia richardii

Austroderia richardii

Common name: toetoe

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Austroderia splendens

Austroderia splendens

Common name: toetoe

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Austroderia turbaria

Austroderia turbaria

Common name: Chatham Island toetoe

Family: Poaceae

Status: Threatened – Nationally Endangered

Ficinia spiralis

Ficinia spiralis

Common name: pīngao, golden sand sedge, pikao

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: At Risk – Declining

Dianella nigra

Dianella nigra

Common name: turutu, New Zealand blueberry, inkberry

Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Earina autumnalis

Earina autumnalis

Common name: Easter orchid, raupeka

Family: Orchidaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Eleocharis sphacelata

Eleocharis sphacelata

Common name: kutakuta, spikes of doom, bamboo spike sedge, tall spike sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Anthosachne solandri

Anthosachne solandri

Common name: Native wheatgrass, blue wheatgrass

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Festuca coxii

Festuca coxii

Common name: Cox’s fescue

Family: Poaceae

Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon

Festuca novae-zelandiae

Festuca novae-zelandiae

Common name: fescue tussock, hard tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Gahnia lacera

Gahnia lacera

Common name: cutty grass

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Gahnia xanthocarpa

Gahnia xanthocarpa

Common name: gahnia, māpere

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Hierochloe redolens

Hierochloe redolens

Common name: holy grass, karetu

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Juncus edgariae

Juncus edgariae

Common name: wiwi, Edgar’s rush

Family: Juncaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Juncus pallidus

Juncus pallidus

Common name: giant rush, leafless rush

Family: Juncaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Lepidosperma australe

Lepidosperma australe

Common name: square sedge, square-stemmed sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Libertia peregrinans

Libertia peregrinans

Common name: New Zealand iris, mikoikoi

Family: Iridaceae

Status: Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable

Luzula rufa var. rufa

Luzula rufa var. rufa

Common name: red woodrush

Family: Juncaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Machaerina sinclairii

Machaerina sinclairii

Common name: machaerina

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Microlaena avenacea

Microlaena avenacea

Common name: bush rice grass, oat grass

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Microlaena stipoides

Microlaena stipoides

Common name: meadow rice grass, slender rice grass

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. hirtellus

Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. hirtellus

Family: Poaceae

Status: At Risk – Naturally Uncommon

Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri

Phormium cookianum subsp. hookeri

Common name: mountain flax, wharariki

Family: Asphodelaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Phormium tenax

Phormium tenax

Common name: flax, harakeke, kōrari (Māori name for inflorescence).

Family: Asphodelaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Poa anceps

Poa anceps

Common name: broad-leaved poa

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Poa cita

Poa cita

Common name: silver tussock

Family: Poaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

Common name: kuawa

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Schoenus pauciflorus

Schoenus pauciflorus

Common name: bog rush, sedge tussock

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Typha orientalis

Typha orientalis

Common name: raupō, bullrush

Family: Typhaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Carex egmontiana

Carex egmontiana

Common name: bastard grass, hook sedge

Family: Cyperaceae

Status: Not Threatened

Xeronema callistemon f. callistemon

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:

  • Trees and shrubs
  • Broad-leaved herbs
  • Climbing and scrambling plants
  • Ferns and their relatives
▲ Back to top
  • Home
  • Flora
  • Threats
  • Ecosystems
  • Publications
  • Conservation
  • NZPCN
  • Help
  • Contact us
  • Settings

© 2023 New Zealand Plant Conservation Network • Website by RS

Coastlands Plant Nursery Wildlands

Website sponsor

  • Home
  • Flora
    • Flora species
    • Vascular
      • Ferns
        • King fern
        • True ferns
        • Adder's tongue ferns
        • Fork ferns and whisk ferns
        • Horsetails
      • Conifers
        • Celery pines
        • Kauri
        • Podocarps
          • Podocarpus
          • Dacrydium
          • Prumnopitys
          • Dacrycarpus
          • Halocarpus
          • Lepidothamnus
          • Manoao
        • Cypress
      • Flowering plants
        • Parasites
          • Leafy mistletoes
          • Pygmy mistletoes
            • Korthalsella flowers
            • Korthalsella hosts
            • Dispersal of Korthalsella
            • Associates of Korthalsella
          • Root parasites
          • Saprophytes
        • Epiphytes
          • NZ
            • Typical
            • Occasional
            • Hemi-epiphytes
            • Ephemeral
            • NZ list
        • Monocots
          • Orchids
            • Structure
          • Grasses
        • Dicots
          • Hebes
          • Kowhai
          • Coprosma
          • Beech
          • Rata
        • Carnivorous
        • Deciduous plants
        • Aquatic plants
      • Poisonous natives
      • Threatened plant lists
      • What's a vascular plant?
      • Club mosses
    • Non Vascular
      • Bryophytes
        • Liverworts
        • Mosses
        • Hornworts
      • Algae
        • Seaweeds
      • Lichens
    • Plant identification
      • Written descriptions
      • Experts
      • Plant keys
        • Key to parasitic plant genera
      • Collecting plants
        • Should I collect
        • Choosing a specimen
        • Field notes
        • Fresh plant material
        • Pressing and drying
        • Mounting specimens
        • Labelling specimens
    • Fungi
    • Make your own book
    • Quiz
  • Threats
    • Exotic Plants (Weeds)
      • Unwanted organisms
      • DOC weeds
      • Plant me instead
      • Pest Plant Accord
    • Pest Animals
      • Mammals
        • Mustelids
        • Rodents
        • Ungulates
        • Possums
      • Fish
      • Insects
    • Other threats
      • Natural events
        • Insects
      • Human induced
        • Habitat loss
        • Collection
        • Climate change
  • Ecosystems
    • Plant communities
      • Dunes
        • Volcanic
        • Coastal
          • Threats
          • Common species
          • Research on dunes
          • Pingao research
          • What you can do
      • Wetlands
        • Estuaries
          • Common estuarine species
          • Research on estuaries
        • Ephemeral
        • Restiad peat bogs
      • Forests
        • Kauri-podocarp-broadleaved
        • Podocarp broadleaved
        • Beech
      • Scrub/shrublands
        • Geothermal
          • Distribution of geothermal vegetation
          • Geothermal plants
          • Geothermal vegetation types
          • Threats to geothermal vegetation
        • Frost flat/hollow
        • Manuka fens
        • Gumlands
      • Grasslands
        • Tussock grasslands
      • Bare ground
        • Braided rivers
        • Alpine
        • Cliff
        • Scree and boulderfields
        • Shingle beaches
      • Herbfields
        • Saltpan
    • Ecosystem services
    • Novel ecosystems
  • Publications
    • Documents
    • Newsletter
    • Plant lists
      • Plant lists by region
      • Search plant lists
      • National plant lists
      • How to prepare a plant list
    • Botanical Society journals
    • NZPCN publications
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
      • Project 1 - Pohutukawa, Rata and Myrtaceae
      • Project 2 - Alpine flora and the Forget-Me-Nots
      • Project 3 - Kowhai and its relatives
      • Project 4 - Podocarps and trees of the forest
    • Training
      • Module 1: Plant life
      • Module 2: Covenants
      • Module 3: Propagation
      • Module 4: Wetlands
      • Pilot course 2006
    • Restoration
      • Gardening
        • Being weed wise
        • Garden plants
          • Trees and shrubs
          • Broad-leaved herbs
          • Grass-like herbs
          • Climbers
          • Ferns
        • Attracting wildlife
        • Planting for lizards
          • Rules
      • Species recovery
        • Plant translocations
      • Ecological restoration
        • Case studies
          • Tavora Reserve
          • Waiwhakareke
      • Revegetation
      • Eco-sourcing
      • Find a restoration group
    • Monitoring
      • Number count
        • Number count method
        • Pros and cons of number counts
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Presence/absence surveys
        • Presence/absence survey methods
        • Pros and cons of presence/absence surveys
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Mapping spatial extent
        • Spatial extent mapping methods
        • Pros and cons of spatial extent mapping
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Photo points
        • Photo point guidelines
    • Habitat protection
      • Legal protection
        • Nga Whenua Rahui
        • QEII covenants
        • DOC Covenants
      • Animal pest control
      • Weed control
      • Fencing
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
  • NZPCN
    • News
    • Trilepidea newsletter
    • Events
      • Conference 2022
        • Conference programme summary
        • 2022 conference workshops
        • 2022 conference field trips
        • Code of conduct
        • COVID-19 information
        • 2022 conference sponsors
        • Abstract and poster submission
        • 2022 Conference venue and accommodation
        • Conference Workshop: Restoration Pathways
        • 2022 conference postponement
      • Conference 2019
      • Conference 2017
      • Conference 2015
        • Speakers
        • Workshops
        • Field trips
        • Charity auction
      • Conference 2013
        • Speakers
        • Timetable
    • Members
    • Council members
      • NZPCN council member profiles
      • Council 2013
      • Council 2012
      • Council 2011
      • Council 2010
      • Council 2009
      • Council 2008
      • Council 2007
      • Council 2006
      • Council 2005
      • Council 2004
      • Council 2003
    • Awards
      • NZPCN Awards
        • 2019
        • 2018
        • 2017
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • 2013
        • 2012
        • 2011
        • 2010
        • 2009
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
        • 2005
        • 2022
      • David Given Scholarship
        • David Given Scholarship Recipients
    • Shop
    • Donate
    • Favourite Plant
    • Why join NZPCN?
    • Join
  • Help
    • FAQ
      • Joining the Network
      • The Network
      • Network website
      • New Zealand plants
      • The law
      • Your discoveries
    • Query
    • Glossary
  • Contact us
  • Settings