Carex enysii
Common names
Enys’s sedge
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Shortly rhizomatous, swarding dark green to yellow-green diminutive sedge forming a dense, compact turf amongst stones and tussocks. Culms 0–15–100 × 0.2–0.4–(0.5) mm, terete, shallowly grooved; basal sheaths chestnut-brown to yellow-brown. Leaves about equal in length to culms, 0.3 mm wide, plano-convex, hair-like, lamina involute just above wide brown sheath, margins smooth, apex obtuse. Inflorescence solitary, terminal, spike of tightly clustered flowers; female flowers 2–3 overtopping the 1-2 male flowers. Glumes: lowermost female glume bractiform, 4–7 mm long; upper female glumes 3 mm long, ovate, acute, brown, midrib green, margin hyaline. Utricles 2.5–3 × 1–2 mm, ovoid, sub-terete, pale brown to very light brown, irrespective of colour becoming distinctly paler toward the base, smooth, glabrous, tapered to a darker beak 1 mm long with a hyaline, oblique orifice; stipe minute or absent. Stigmas 3. Rhachilla enclosed within utricle 1 × 0.3 mm at the base, tapering to a bluntly truncate apex. Nut 1.5 mm long, obtusely trigonous.
Similar taxa
Allied to C. acicularis Boott in Hook.f., and C. allanii Hamlin, and distinguished from both by the glabrous rather than scabrid utricle beak and shorter rhachilla (1 mm compared with 2 mm in the other two species).
Distribution
Endemic. North Island and South Island. Scarce in the North Island where it is known from two sites (Maungahararu Range and Mt Ruapehu).
Habitat
A species of open, moist stony ground, particularly on or near limestone or chlorite schists. Usually found within tussock grassland or associated subalpine scrub. Sometimes present in montane forest.
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT
Threats
Biologically sparse and probably also overlooked as it is rather small and inconspciuous. At present it doe snot seem be threatened although some populations are probably vulnerable to invasive weeds.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–December
Fruiting
October–April
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 slow growing and somewhat fickle. Best kep in a pot, in full sun with a permanently moist 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]
OBL: Obligate Wetland
Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
enysii: Named in honour of John Davies Enys (1837-1912), a Cornish geologist, biologist and farmer, who owned Castle Hill Station in Canterbury from 1867 to 1891.
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.
CARENY
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Data Deficient
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 “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S 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.
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 (8 August 2007). 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.