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  4. Carex trifida

Carex trifida

Chatham Islands, Te Whakaru.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, 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>
Chatham Islands, Te Whakaru.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, 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>
In cultivation.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 01/10/2003, 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>
Chatham Islands, Te Whakaru.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, 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>
Utricles; remnant stigma exserted from specimen on right. In cultivation.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/02/2008, 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>
Section of spikelet showing glumes with long, scabrid awns. In cultivation.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/02/2008, 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>
Catlins.<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>
Ocean Mail, Chatham Islands.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, 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>
Chatham Islands.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, 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>
Chatham Islands.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, 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 trifida.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, 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>
Otago Peninsula.<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>
Campbell Island.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Campbell Island.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Campbell Island.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Campbell Island.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Queens Park, Invercargill.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 05/11/2016, 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 name

mutton-bird sedge, tataki

Synonyms

Carex rekohu Petrie

Family

Cyperaceae

Authority

Carex trifida Cav.

Flora category

Vascular – Native

Endemic taxon

No

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Structural class

Sedges

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.

CARTRI

Chromosome number

2n = 60

Current conservation status

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.

Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.

  • Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO

Previous conservation statuses

2012 | Not Threatened

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand, southern South Island, Stephens, Stewart, Chatham, Snares, Antipodes, Auckland, Campbell Islands. Also present on Macquarie Island, in southern South America and the Falkland Islands.

Habitat

Strictly coastal where it often associated with seal haul outs and sea bird nesting grounds, especially - as the common name suggests - muttonbirds (Puffinus spp.). Usually in open sites, very rarely found in canopy gaps within coastal forest.

Features

Extremely robust, compact, light green to glaucous sedge, producing tussocks up to 1 m diameter. Culms 0.15–1.00 m tall, 2–4 mm diameter, trigonous with angles rounded, glabrous; basal sheaths cream, grey, or yellow-brown. Leaves often overtopping the inflorescence, 6–15 mm wide, light green to dark glaucous green, double-folded, with keel not very much thickened, rather soft and spreading, margins slightly scabrid with rather distant teeth; sheath only slightly broader than lamina, paler green. Spikes 6–15, brown, very sturdy, 35–11 x 5–15 mm; upper 2–4 spikes male, occasionally with a few female flowers intermingled, ± approximate, ± sessile; lower spikes female, the lowest often compound, on stout erect peduncles; bracts leaf-like, > inflorescence. Glumes > utricles, linear-oblong, or lanceolate, noticeably emarginate, membranous, chestnut-brown, the pale greenish brown midrib produced to a very long hispid awn. Utricles 4.5–6.0 x c.2.0 mm., subtrigonous, oblong-obovoid, turgid, distinctly nerved, straw-coloured to light brown tinged; abruptly narrowed to a rather shallowly bifid beak c.1 mm long, margins and orifice occasionally slightly scabrid; much contracted to a very pale brown stipe c.1 mm long. Stigmas 3. Nut c. 2 mm. long, trigonous, oblong-obovoid, dark brown.

Similar taxa

Carex trifida has no obvious close relatives in New Zealand, and of the few it frequently associates with, none, except the Chatham Island endemic C. ventosa Petrie, have any gross morphological similarity. From C. ventosa, C. trifida differs by its distinctly emarginate rather than acute or truncate, chestnut brown rather than mostly colourless, with red-brown striae glumes. Although C. ventosa is often weakly glaucous it rarely is the dark blue-green colour usually seen in C. trifida. Carex ventosa is normally a forest plant and C. trifida prefers open coastal sites, rarely however, do their distributions overlap, and there is some evidence they form hybrids.

Flowering

August - December

Fruiting

November - June

Life cycle

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. Often naturalises in gardens. Prefers full sun and a damp, well manured, slightly acidic soil but will grow in almost any conditions except deep shade. A beautiful and popular sedge, widely grown in New Zealand.

Threats

Not Threatened - but very uncommon in the northern part of its range

Etymology

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

trifida: Divided into three

Taxonomic notes

Based on nrDNA ITS sequences New Zealand plants are sister to the Chatham Island endemics C. ventosa Petrie and C. chathamica Petrie. No sequences of C. trifida seem to be available from its type locality, the Falkland Islands.

Attribution

Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (10 August 2006). Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970)

References and further reading

Moore, L.B.; Edgar, E. 1970: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. II. Government Printer, Wellington.

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 2009 Vol. 11 No. 4 pp. 285-309

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Carex trifida Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-trifida/ (Date website was queried)

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