Carex banksiana
Common names
fine-leaved bastard grass
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Densely tufted, bright green to blue-green plants. Culms 100–350 mm long, much < 0.5 mm diameter, glabrous, terete; basal bracts dull reddish brown. Leaves 3–6 per culm, = or > culm, 0.5–1.5 mm wide, very soft, harshly scabrid on margins and upper surface towards the long filiform tip. Spikes 30–70 × 1–2 mm, occasionally bracteate, female flowers c. 5–10, all distant, internodes 1–10 mm. long, male glumes scarcely imbricating. Glumes much < utricles, deciduous, ovate or oblong, acute or acuminate, hyaline with a green midrib. Utricles 4.5–6 mm long, slightly < 1 mm diameter, plano-convex or terete, narrow-lanceolate or oblong, strongly nerved, rarely smooth, green to very pale brown, not spreading at maturity, distinctly contracted to a stipe 0.5–1.0 mm long, beak 1.0–1.5 mm long.
Similar taxa
Very large specimens of Carex banksiana could be confused with C. hamlinii K.A.Ford, however C. hamlinii usually grows in cooler habitats away from the coast or at higher elevations than C. banksiana, and both species have yet to be found growing sympatrically. From C. hamlinii, C. banksiana differs by its smaller stature, by the glumes which are hardly overlapping and by the more distant female flowers. C. subviridis K.A.Ford, another fine-leaved species has a superficial resemblance to C. banksiana. Both species have a similar gracile growth habit, and rather fine light-green leaves and lax inflorescences. However, Carex subviridis is a larger plant closer set flowers, and with scabrid rather than glabrous utricles.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Te Paki to the southern Waikato and Bay of Plenty, thence mostly in west to about Wellington), South Island (North-West Nelson, Marlborough Sounds, Canterbury and Otago).
Habitat
Next to Carex uncinata Linn.f. one of the most common species of northern coastal and lowland forest and scrub.
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.
- 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
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Uncinia banksii Boott; Uncinia riparia R.Br. var. banksii (Boott) C.B.Clarke; Uncinia capillaris Col.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–November
Fruiting
November–April (but old inflorescences present throughout the year)
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of established plants. Does best in a free draining soil, in a semi-shaded site.
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
banksiana: Named after Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (24 February 1743 - 19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
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.
CARBAN
Chromosome number
2n = 88
Previous conservation statuses
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.
- 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.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
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.
Attribution
Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970). Fact sheet prepared by Peter J. de Lange 17 August 2006.
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.