Carex libera
Common names
sedge
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Shortly rhizomatous; somewhat openly tufted, dingy reddish green, red to red-green sedge. Culms 10–80 × 1 mm, cylindrical, glabrous; shorter culms almost hidden by brownish leaf sheaths. Leaves > culms, up to 250 × 0.5–1 mm, rather spreading but not drooping, somewhat coriaceous, concavo-convex, paler on undersides, margins finely scabrid toward apex. Inflorescence of 3–5, close-packed, sessile spikes; terminal spike male, erect, usually reddish brown to brownish; subtending bracts numerous, leaf-like. Glumes (excluding awns) usually slightly less than utricles, ovate, often emarginated and cuspidate, reddish brown with a distinctly thicker green midrib, sometimes uniformly red-brown. Utricles 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm, plano-convex, ovoid-ellipsoid, light grey-green or yellow-brown toward base, spotted with red or dark red-purple in distinct patches toward apex, nerves distinct, whitish; beak rather short (up to 0.5 mm), slightly narrowed, usually spotted red-purple, margins glabrous, crura shortly bidentate to almost truncate, scabrid; stipe minute, scarcely narrower than utricle. Stigmas 3. Nut 1 × 1 mm. dark brown, obovoid, trigonous with rounded angles.
Similar taxa
Carex libera is closely allied to the three other reddish coloured sedges C. edgariae Hamlin, C. filamentosa Petrie and C. uncifolia Cheeseman, which all possess small, congested and approximate spikes. From these C. libera is closest to C. edgariae with which it shares similar concavo-convex leaves that are wider than 0.5 mm, and utricles that are scarcely beaked. From C. edgariae, C. libera can be recognised by the red-tipped rather than black-tipped utricles, and by the female glumes, which are almost the same or of equal length rather than ½ the length of the utricles. In C. libera the male glumes are usually reddish-brown and awned, while those of C. edgariae are creamy brown and usually entire.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, North West Nelson.
Habitat
A species found in open, damp sites such as along stream sides, in seepages and around small pools, ponds, and tarns. Known to range from lowland to subalpine habitats. Often found in montane forest and 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.
- 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
Synonyms
Carex uncifolia Cheeseman. var. libera Kük.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–January
Fruiting
October–May
Life cycle and dispersal
Nuts surrounded by inflated utricles are dispersed by granivory and wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown in pots and in an open, sunny but permanently damp situation. A very attractive small sedge well worth cultivating.
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]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
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.
CARLIB
Chromosome number
2n = c.60
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
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 libera Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-libera/ (Date website was queried)