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  4. Isolepis inundata

Isolepis inundata

Jackson Head.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Date taken: 11/08/2013, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ex Jackson Head.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Date taken: 04/11/2013, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Isolepis inundata.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Isolepis inundata.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
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Biostatus

Native

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Sedges

Detailed description

Initially tufted, with culms soon arching and spreading. Culms 60–500 × 0.4–1.8 mm, tufted, numerous, erect, often rather rigid (especially in lower third), terete, bright green. Leaves 1, or rarely 2–3 at the base of the culm, < 1 mm. wide; frequently reduced to a single, mucronate, red basal bract, mucro usually short. Inflorescence an apparently lateral, solitary head of (1)–3–6–(10) crowded spikelets, often proliferous with 1–3 slender branchlets each terminated by a smaller head of spikelets, subtending bract usually slightly > spikelets. Spikelets 2.0–5.0 × 1.5–3.0 mm, ovate or oblong-ovate, often dark red-purple. Glumes 1.5–2.0 mm. long, oblong-obovate, obtuse or ± acute, with a large dark red to black patch on either side of the pale green keel, with numerous distinct, light brown nerves, margins entire, white and membranous, flattened at the tip beside the keel. Hypogynous bristles 0. Stamen 1, very rarely 2. Style-branches 3, rarely 2–3. Nut c. 1.0 × 0.5 mm, slightly > ½ length of glume, conspicuously trigonous (very occasionally biconvex), distinctly mucronate, pale straw-coloured, almost white, occasionally grey-brown, surface distinctly reticulate.

Similar taxa

Close to Isolepis distigmatosa (C.B.Clarke) Edgar and I. prolifera (Rottb.) R.Br. in often having no true leaves but only sheathing bracts. It is distinguished from these species by its usually pale green basally blotched dark red or purple glumes, mostly 3 rather than 2 style-branches, and trigonous (rarely biconvex) nuts. It is usually a much finer plant than either of these species.

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island, South Island and Chatham Islands. Also Australia, Malaysia, South America and Norfolk Island.

Habitat

Coastal to montane in fresh water wetlands (eutrophic to oligotrophic). Often forming a floating sud around lake, pond and stream margins. Sometimes colonising old water troughs and damp pasture.

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: SO

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Cyperaceae

Authority

Isolepis inundata R.Br.

Synonyms

Scirpus inundatus (R.Br.) Spreng.; Scirpus inundatus var. major Cheeseman; Isolepis propinuqua R.Br.; Scirpus cartilagineus var. propinqua (Nees) Benth.; Isolepis conspersa Nees in Endl.; Scirpus conspersus (Nees) Boeck.; Isolepis gunnii Steud.; Isolepis urvillei Steud.; Scirpus urvillei (Steud.) Boeck.; Isolepis multinervosa Boeck.

Endemic taxon

No

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

September–January

Fruiting

October–June

Life cycle and dispersal

Nuts are dispersed by water and possibly granivory and attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of whole plants. Once established rather tolerant of a range of conditions but flourishes best in full sun in a permanently damp soil. An attractive pot plant but can become invasive in some situations.

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)

inundata: Growing in places that are periodically flooded

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.

ISOINU

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

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 Data Deficient

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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