Carex druceana
Common names
Druce’s sedge
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Light reddish green tufted sedge 10–0 cm tall. Culms smooth, circular in cross-section (terete), 0.5–1 mm diameter. Basal sheaths grey-brown or light brown. Leaves > culms, up to 35 cm long, (1)–1.5–(2.2) mm wide, flat, concave or convex, red, margins scabrid (with teeth), tip curled. Inflorescence of 4–6 unstalked, closely-packed, 0.5–1–(1.5) cm × 3–5 mm, ovate or cylindrical spikes; male spikes at the base, female at the top. Glumes ≤ utricles (fruits), broadly ovate or oblong, pale brown with red markings, apex cleft, with the green midrib extending as a scabrid 2 mm long awn. Utricles c. 2.5 × 1.3–1.5 mm, ovoid to rhomboid, 3-angled (trigonous) or irregularly inflated, yellowish with red near tip, beak minute (0.3 mm), black or dark brown. Stigmas 3. Nut c. 1 × 1 mm, elliptic-obovoid, 3-angled, cream to dark brown.
Similar taxa
Allied to Carex astonii (which is treated as a variety of C. druceana in Moore & Edgar (1970)) from which it is distinguished by its wider leaves ((1)–1.5–(2.2) mm vs. 0.7–1.2 mm in C. astonii), clustered rather than distant spikelets, and by its longer awns (up to 2 mm, those of C. astonii up to 0.5 mm). Carex astonii is confined to the Kaimanawa and Ruahine Ranges, while C. druceana extends to north west Nelson.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, Ruahine Ranges. South Island, north west Nelson.
Habitat
Sub alpine to alpine sedge of damp ground in 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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
Threats
Carex druceana is probably not threatened but there are very few recent (>1980) collections.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
C. druceana Hamlin var. druceana
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
No information available
Fruiting
No information available
Propagation technique
Easily grown by division and from fresh seed.
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
druceana: After A.P. Druce, one of New Zealand’s most respected field botanists
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.
CARDRU
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: St
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: St
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Data Deficient
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
.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 druceana Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-druceana/ (Date website was queried)