Carex acicularis
Common names
sedge
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Diminutive, shortly rhizomatous, swarding yellow-green to dark green, sedge forming small tufts and mats amongst stones and in damp depressions within forest and tussock grassland. Culms 20–200 × 0.5 mm, terete, smooth; basal sheaths chestnut-brown or yellow-brown. Leaves slightly < culms (occasionally overtopping them), 0.5 mm wide, hair-like, plano-convex, canaliculated, strict, yellow-green to dark green, margins scabrid towards the obtuse apex. Inflorescence solitary. Spike 5 mm long, the lowermost glume bracteate, female flowers 2–6, equally or overtopping male flowers. Glumes longer than or of equal length to utricles, ovate, acute, brown with green midrib. Utricles 3–5 × 1 mm, lanceolate, smooth, tapering to a dark beak 1–2 mm long with distinctly scabrid margins and oblique crura; stipe 1 mm long. Stigmas 3. Rhachilla enclosed within utricle, 2–2.3 mm long, linear, margins scabrid, apex surmounted by a minute, red appendage. Nut 2 mm long, oblong-trigonous, smooth.
Similar taxa
Most closely allied to C. allanii Hamlin (which many regard as a form of C. acicularis) and C. enysii Petrie. From C. enysii it is best recognised by the distinctly scabrid rather than smoothly glabrous utricle beak, while it is chiefly distinguished from C. allanii by its shortly creeping, closely tufted habit, lanceolate rather than subtrigonous utricles, and longer (1–2 mm vs. 1 mm) beak. The nut of C. allanii is < 2 mm long, obovoid-trigonous while that of C. acicularis is 2 mm long and oblong-trigonous. Further study is needed to determine if C. allanii is truly distinct from C. acicularis.
Distribution
Endemic. North, South and Stewart Islands. In the North Island confined to the main axial Mountains from the Raukumara Range South including the Volcanic Plateau. In the South and Stewart Islands widespread.
Habitat
A montane to subalpine (sometimes coastal in the southern part of its range) sedge of wet open stony ground, damp seepages in scrub or forest or within tussock grassland.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
Carex inconspicua Col.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–December
Fruiting
October–June
Life cycle and dispersal
Nuts surrounded by inflated utricles are dispersed by granivory and wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from rooted pieces and fresh seed. But fairly slow-growing and odes better in cooler climates. Does not like humidity
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
acicularis: From the Latin acicula ‘small pin’ refers to things which are needle-like, needle-shaped, stiff or pointed
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CARACI
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (10 August 2006). Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970)
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Carex acicularis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-acicularis/ (Date website was queried)