Carex tahoata
Common names
mountain teasel sedge
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Stout, caespitose, red, reddish-green to bronze green sedge up to 0.8 m tall. Culms 100–600 × 0.5–1 mm, trigonous, scabrid on the angles above, or subterete and smooth. Leaves reddish, red-green, 250–600 × 1.5–2.2. mm, conduplicate or subplicate, scabrid on the margins and upper surfaces, basal sheaths short, 20–100 mm long. Inflorescence 80–200 mm, lowest internode 20–160 mm long, lowest bract sheath 10–20 mm long. Spikes 4–6–(8), terminal spike male, 10–20 mm long; slender, on a peduncle up to 10 mm long or subsessile, remainder female, lowest 10–15 mm, upper shorter, 4 mm wide, cylindric, sessile or the lowest on peduncles up to 10 mm long. Glumes equalling the utricles, oblong, obtuse to subacute to shortly acuminate, pale to red brown with abroad hyaline margin, and a pale midrib not reaching the margin or prolonged as a 0.2 mm or less mucro. Utricles 2–2.5 × 1.3–1.8 mm, ovoid ellipsoid, broadly ellipsoid to suborbicular, planoconvex or unequally biconvex, pale below, very dark brown above, smooth and glossy, margins scabrid on upper half, beak absent, crura up to 20.2 mm long, readily abraded.
Similar taxa
Very close to Carex dipsacea Bergg., and differing mainly by the shorter stature, more slender leaves, shorter and fewer female spikes and smaller utricles. In its extreme form it appears very distinctive but it is scarcely distinct from C. dipsacea and is probably better regarded, as Moore & Edgar (1970) advocated, as part of the natural range of variation exihibited by C. dipsacea.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, Central Volcanic Plateau from about Lake Taupo South through the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Ranges to the northern Ruahine Range (Makirikiri Tarns, Potae). It may be in the South Island.
Habitat
Montane to alpine stream sides, lake and tarn margins, wet flushed in tussock grassland and cushion bogs.
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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Threats
A naturally uncommon, range restricted sedge abundant within large parts of its geographically confined range.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–December
Fruiting
November–August
Life cycle and dispersal
Nuts surrounded by inflated utricles are dispersed by granivory and wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by the division of established plants. Does well in sun or shade, and although it prefers a moist soil it wil tolerate extreme drought. Some selection from the wild may be needed as the species is highly variable and some of the high altitude forms in particular, have very red foliage and dark brown (almost black) utricles which are retained in cultivation.
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Hamlin BG. 1968. The Genus Carex Sect. Echinochlaenae Th. Holm in New Zealand: Typification, Classification and Descriptions of New Species. Records of the Dominion Museum, Wellington 6: 97–111.
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 by P.J. de Lange (30 August 2005). Description based on Hamlin (1968).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Carex tahoata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-tahoata/ (Date website was queried)