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  4. Isolepis caligenis

Isolepis caligenis

Herbarium specimen: AK 289205. Photographed with permission of Auckland Institute and Museum.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 30/10/2007, 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>
Herbarium specimen: AK 289205. Photographed with permission of Auckland Institute and Museum.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 30/10/2007, 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>
Herbarium specimen: AK 289205. Photographed with permission of Auckland Institute and Museum.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 30/10/2007, 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>
Herbarium specimen: AK 289205. Photographed with permission of Auckland Institute and Museum.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 30/10/2007, 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>
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Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Sedges

Detailed description

Bright green, rhizomatous, leafy, tufted plants. Tufts usually distant. Rhizome c. 0.5 mm diameter. Culms 10–100 × c. 0.5 mm, stiff. Leaves 2–5, usually 1 at least > culm, c. 0.5 mm wide, often curved, concave-convex, plano-convex; lowermost leaves reduced to brown fibrillose sheaths. Inflorescence of 1–(2) spikelets; subtending bract much > spikelet; up to 30 mm, long. Spikelets 2–5 × 1–4 mm, ovate-elliptical to suborbicular, pale green to pale brown. Glumes numerous, 1.5–2.5 mm long, white and membranous, acute, occasionally with a red-brown patch on either side, or with minute dots towards apex, keel green, usually excurrent; 2 lowermost glumes frequently larger than rest, to 3.5 mm long, the lower with much extended keel. Hypogynous bristles 0. Stamens 1–3. Style-branches 2–3. Nut c. 1 mm long, slightly < 1 mm wide, suborbicular, unequally biconvex, compressed with edges flattened, apiculate, surface pearly grey, finely reticulate, appearing smooth.

Similar taxa

Easily recognised by bright green, stiffly erect, leafy tufts; culms mostly > 20 mm tall; by the conspicuous, large, whitish spikelets (usually > 3 mm wide); and pearl-grey, compressed nut. Most similar to Isolepis basilaris Hook.f. which differs by the usually shorter culms; spikelets < 2 mm wide; and by the dorsally rounded, dark brown to almost black nut.

Distribution

Endemic. North Island, South Islands, from the Kaimanawa Range south to at least Otago.

Habitat

Mostly montane (700–1400 m a.s.l.). In damp ground within forest, and on the margins of streams and lakes. Usually in shaded sites.

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 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Cyperaceae

Authority

Isolepis caligenis (V.J.Cook) Soják

Synonyms

Scirpus caligenis var. tristigmatosa V.J.Cook, Scirpus caligenis V.J.Cook

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–December

Fruiting

December–May

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed, and from rooted pieces. Prefers a cool, shady, permanently damp site. Best grown in a pot. Dislikes humid climates.

Wetland plant indicator status rating

Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]

OBL: Obligate Wetland

Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).

Other information

Where To Buy

Not Commercially available

Etymology

isolepis: From the Greek isos (equal) and lepis (scale)

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.

ISOCAL

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: DP

2012 | Not Threatened

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

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.

Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Johnson AT, Smith HA. 1986. Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd, Buckenhill, UK.

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

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.

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