Gaimardia setacea
Common name
Gaimardia
Synonyms
None
Family
Restionaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
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.
GAISET
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). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By 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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: South and Stewart Islands. Also in New Guinea and Tasmania.
Habitat
In the South Island strictly montane to alpine., in bogs. On Stewart Island in similar sites but at lower altitudes as well as alpine.
Features
Compact, dark brown, occasionally glaucescent herb forming cushions up to 900 mm across. Roots fibrous. Stems 20–80 mm long, erect, wiry. Leaves 5–20 mm long, leaves, naked, terminated by 2–3 alternate glume-like, minutely papillate bracts; each bract enclosing 1 pseudanthium only, the third or uppermost bract sterile; hyaline scales 0. Male 2 in each pseudanthium. Female, 2 in each pseudanthium, styles not connate; occasionally with one ovary aborting. Fruit slightly > 0.5 mm. long, oblong-ovoid, surface faintly and irregularly reticulate.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from Centrolepis Labill. by have two male flowers per pseudanthium; two fused and collateral female flowers; two-three, distinctly alternate, glume-like floral bracts and opaque, light-brown leaf-sheaths.
Flowering
November – January
Fruiting
January – March
Life cycle
Seeds are dispersed by water (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Etymology
gaimardia: After Gaimard
setacea: Bristly
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available.
Attribution
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 11: 285-309.