Machaerina rubiginosa
Common name
baumea
Synonyms
Fuirena rubiginosa Spreng.; Cladium globeratum R.Br.; Cladium rubiginosum (Spreng.) Domin; Baumea rubiginosa (Spreng.) Boeck.
Family
Cyperaceae
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.
MACRUB
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: North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Also New Guinea, New Caledonia and Australia
Habitat
Coastal to montane (up to 900 m a.s.l.) in most freshwater wetlands; especially favouring low moor peat bogs, the margins of restiad bogs and their burn pools, more rarely on the margins of lakes, tarns and slow-flowing streams where it may grow with Machaerina arthrophylla.
Features
Glaucous to bright-green, rhizomatous sedge. Rhizome 2–4 mm diameter, horizontal, shortly creeping, wiry, fibrous, covered with a loose coat of closely imbricating papery scales. Culms 0.3–1.2 m tall, 1.0–2.5 mm, terete, soft, light blue-green, darkly glaucous or bright-green. Lower leaves reduced to grey-brown, membranous, mucronate sheaths; upper leaves 1–3, terete like the culms, < or ± = culms, internally septate, tips subulate, acute. Inflorescence a panicle, 60–350 mm long, rounded at the tip, interrupted, with branchlets in distant fascicles, stoutest lateral branchlet arising from lowest spathaceous bract c.1 mm diameter; bracts subtending upper fascicles acuminate, membranous, red-brown. Spikelets 4.5–6.0 mm long, clustered, red-brown, 2–4-flowered, 1 or occasionally 2 flowers fertile. Glumes 4–5, ovate, acuminate, membranous, streaked with red, margins ciliate, scabrid towards the tip and on the keel. Nut 3.0–4.0 x c.1.5 mm, elliptic-oblong, pale- or orange-yellow, smooth, trigonous while immature; beak small, grey or black, acute, trigonous, puberulous.
Flowering
October - December
Fruiting
Throughout the year
Life cycle
Nuts are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by the division of whole plants - though plants may take some time to settle. Although it prefers an acidic, permanently damp soil, plants can be grown in free draining soils and once established will tolerate dry spells reasonably well.
Etymology
rubiginosa: Rust-coloured
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (8 September 2006). Description adapted from Moore & 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): Machaerina rubiginosa Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/machaerina-rubiginosa/ (Date website was queried)