Carex comans
Common names
sedge
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Tufts very dense, very leafy, red, yellow-green, or lime-green. Culms 60–400 mm long, < 1 mm diameter, terete, glabrous, flaccid, occasionally much elongating at maturation of fruit and drooping to the ground; basal sheaths dull brown to purple-black. Leaves usually > culms, 0.5–1.5 mm wide, drooping above, concavo-convex, adaxial surface matt, abaxial surface more deeply coloured and shining, margins scabrid, tips rarely curled. Spikes 4–8, linear-oblong; terminal 1–(2) spikes male, very slender; remaining spikes female occasionally with a few male flowers at the base, 5–25 × 3–4 mm, distant, the uppermost 1–2 sessile, the lower on filiform peduncles, often drooping. Glumes (excluding awn) often slightly < utricles, ovate-lanceolate, usually emarginate to more deeply bifid at the top with a rather short scabrid awn, light brown or reddish brown with a paler midrib, membranous. Utricles 2.5–3.5 × c. 1.0 mm, unequally biconvex to ± plano-convex, lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, reddish brown, pale straw-coloured at the base, obscurely ribbed on both faces, becoming smooth when fully mature, lateral nerves usually prominent, margins of upper half sharply serrate, narrowed above to a bifid beak c. 1 mm long, with slender scabrid crura. Stigmas 3. Nut 1.5–2 mm. long, trigonous, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, dark brown.
Similar taxa
Carex comans is a very distinct species easily recognised by its densely tufted growth habit, narrow, concavo-convex leaves, slender light brown pedunculate spikes and the sharply toothed utricle-beaks with long crura. It is most similar to, and most often confused with C. albula Allan and C. fretailis Hamlin. Carex albula is best distinguished from C. comans by the usually stiffly erect growth habit, pale foliage colour, and pale cream glumes. However some C. albula plants can also appear green or red and can be distinguished from C. comans only by the pale glume with small red flecks and by the obvious vein towards the margin of the outer face of the utricle. Carex fretalis is very closely related to Carex comans Bergg., from which it differs by the usually pale yellow-green leaves with strongly curled (cirrhose) apices, and light brown, never purple-brown basal sheaths. The inflorescence of C. fretalis tends to be shorter and more stiffly erect and the spikes fewer, broader and with larger, usually glabrous utricles, which have a scarcely narrowed, usually glabrous beak rather than the distinct, and very scabrid beak seen in C. comans.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North, South and Stewart Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine. Usually in free draining soils either in the open or under scrub or tall forest in relatively open sparsely vegetated situations. It often naturalises in urban areas.
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
Threats
Not Threatened - often naturalised in urban areas
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
Carex pulchella Bergg., C. cheesemanii Petrie, C. comans var. pulchella (Bergg.) C.B.Clarke in Cheeseman, C. comans var. cheesemanii (Petrie) Kük.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Throughout the year
Fruiting
Throughout the year
Life cycle and dispersal
Nuts surrounded by inflated utricles are dispersed by granivory and wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of established plants. Three colour forms exist, the red and green forms are the most widely cultivated. Often naturalises in urban areas and at times can become invasive. Tolerant of a wide range of conditions except permanently waterlogged soils. However does best in full sun in a free draining soil.
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
Cultivation
Commonly available from mainline and specialist native plant nurseries. Carex comans is very variable, and red and green colour forms are known. Some confusion exists around the cultivar C. comans cv. Frosted Curls which, at least in the original form is actually C. fretalis Hamlin. However, many plants now sold as that cultivar are now the green-form of C. comans.
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
comans: Like a luxurious head of hair
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.
CARCOM
Chromosome number
2n = 40
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 comans Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-comans/ (Date website was queried)