Carex silvestris
Common names
forest bastard grass, hook sedge
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Simplified description
Carex silvestris (Hamlin) K.A.Ford
Detailed description
Bright green, densely caespitose plants. Culms 200–400 × c. 0.5 mm, glabrous; basal bracts light cinnamon-brown or yellow-brown, not shining. Leaves 4–5 per culm, ± = or slightly > culms, 0.5–2.0 mm wide, bright green, tapering to a long filiform tip, scabrid on margins and on upper surface towards leaf-tip. Spikes 35–100 × 2–3 mm, often bracteate with the leaf-like bract much > spike, female flowers c. 10–20, internodes 3–5 mm long towards base of spike, 1–2 mm long above. Glumes much < utricles, persistent, ovate, acute or subacute, membranous, very faintly nerved, midrib pale green. Utricles 3.5–5.0 mm long, slightly < 1 mm diameter, plano-convex, concavo-convex or subtrigonous, oblong or ovoid-lanceolate, light green, rarely greenish brown, membranous, few-nerved or smooth, stipe c. 1 mm long, narrowed above to a distinct beak 1.0–1.5 mm long
Similar taxa
Distinguished from all other species with persistent glumes by the glabrous culms and glumes which are conspicuously shorter than the utricles( see also Carex egmontiana (Hamlin) K.A.Ford).
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Pureora and the Kaimai Range south), South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Habitat
Lowland to upper montane forest. Often rather local and probably Naturally Uncommon/Sparse.
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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
Uncinia silvestris Hamlin
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–November
Fruiting
November–February
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of established plants. Prefers a permanently moist, peaty soil but will grow in most substrates. Best in semi-shade.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
silvestris: Of forests
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.
CARSIL
Chromosome number
2n = 88
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.
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.