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  4. Carex muelleri

Carex muelleri

Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 31/03/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Carex muelleri.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Carex muelleri.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved.
In cultivation, Dunedin.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Nevis Valley, Otago.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 31/03/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 31/03/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 31/03/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 31/03/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mackenzie Basin.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 03/04/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

Mueller’s sedge

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Sedges

Detailed description

Rhizomatous; pale yellow-green, whitish-green to green tufted and swarding sedge. Rhizome 2–3 mm diameter, rather woody, covered in closely sheathing brown scales. Culms stiffly erect, 60–450 × 0.5–1 mm, > leaves, terete, flattened or plano-convex above, terete below, rather wiry, glabrous; basal sheaths dark grey-brown or reddish brown. Leaves 80–350 × 0.5–15 mm, plano-convex or with the upper surface slightly concave, lamina grooved along back, flattened near tip, occasionally scabrid along the margins. Inflorescences almost dioecious, with plants either mostly male or female; males with sparse female flowers near inflorescence apex, females with males in the same position. Inflorescence an erect, linear, continuous, compound spike 15–40 × 4 mm. Spikes 5–10, more or less contiguous, pale, straw-coloured to almost grey-green. Subtending bracts glume-like, rather long-awned, though not > inflorescence. Glumes more or less the same length as the utricles, linear-lanceolate, acuminate or awned, rather membranous to chartaceous, pale green to pale brown or hyaline. Utricles 3.5–4.5 × 1–1.2 mm, plano-convex, narrow-lanceolate, strongly nerved on the flat face; beak 1.5–2 mm long, tapering, with finely scabrid wings and an oblique, bifid orifice; stipe 0.5–1 mm, hardly contracted. Stigmas 2. Nut c. 2 mm long, brown, oblong-obovoid, smooth, glossy.

Similar taxa

A very distinctive species easily recognized by its rather tall whitish-green, yellow-green to green tufted culms and leaves, creeping habit, and narrowly erect almost dioecious inflorescences. It is perhaps most similar to C. kaloides Petrie which differs by its greater stature, orange yellow, reddish-yellow to orange culms and leaves, longer, often paniculate inflorescence and broader, larger, rather more finely nerved utricles.

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, in the east from Marlborough (upper Wairau River) to Otago.

Habitat

A species of upper montane river flat, lake margin and shallow tarn habitats within tussock grassland. It seems to prefer seasonally wet habitats.

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 – Declining | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

A biologically sparse, naturally uncommon species. In some parts of its range it may be declining due to competition from weeds.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Cyperaceae

Authority

Carex muelleri Petrie

Synonyms

Carex viridis Petrie

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–January

Fruiting

October–June

Life cycle and dispersal

Nuts surrounded by inflated utricles are dispersed by granivory and wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Easily grown by division of whole plants and fresh seed. Because plants are virtually dioecious seed may be difficult to obtain. An attractive an dunusual sedge form rigidly erect greenish white swards. Ideal for cultivation around garden ponds or slow flowing streams, provided it is planted in sunny conditions and kept free from competition.

Other information

Etymology

carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.

muelleri: Named after Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, 19th century German/Australian botanist and founder of the National Herbarium of Victoria

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.

CARMUE

Chromosome number

2n = c.70

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 | Sparse

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Declining | Qualifiers: DPS, NR, NStr, Sp, TL

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.

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

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.

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