Carex trifida
Common names
mutton-bird sedge, tataki
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
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 × 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 × 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.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand, southern South Island, Stephens Island / Takapourewa, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Snares Islands/Tini Heke, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku. 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.
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: DPT, PD, SO
Threats
Not threatened but very uncommon in the northern part of its range
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Carex rekohu Petrie
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.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
August–December
Fruiting
November–June
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. 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.
Other information
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
trifida: Divided into three
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
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 | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CI, DPS, DPT, NStr, RR, Sp
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
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 trifida Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-trifida/ (Date website was queried)