Machaerina teretifolia
Synonyms
Cladium teretifolium R.Br.; Baumea teretifolia (R.Br.) Palla
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.
MACTER
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
Brief description
Swarding to densely tufted sedge dark green to yellow green rush-like sedge bearing dense paniculate inflorescences, each spikelet bearing an oblong-obovoid, white or pale brown, deeply corrugated nut
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North and South Islands - common in the northern half ot he North Island, then less so though locally common around Wellington. In the South Island common in Nelson and Westland. Also Australia and New Guinea.
Habitat
Coastal to montane (up to 900 m a.s.l.) mostly in moderately acid to extremely acidic peat bogs, (especially low moor bogs and restiad bogs), also in gum land and pakihi. Less commonly found growing along the margins of peat lakes slow-flowing streams draining peat bogs, or along drainage ditches.
Features
Plants rhizomatous, variable, either densely tufted, caespitose, or covering large tracts of ground with distant culms. Rhizome 2–4 mm diameter, fibrous and flexuous, usually widely creeping, all parts invested with closely imbricate, grey papery bracts. Culms 0.3–1.1 m tall, 1.5–4.0 mm, terete or slightly compressed, striate, yellow-green. Lowermost leaves reduced to sheathing bracts, pinkish brown, rarely dark grey, mucronate; upper leaves 1–3, < or ± = to culms, terete like the culms except towards the subulate, pungent tip, internally septate, sheath loose. Panicle 40–180 mm long, stiff, erect, narrowed and pointed towards the tip like a spear-head, with numerous closely packed branchlets; sheaths subtending panicle and branchlets short, membranous, pale brown, striate. Spikelets 3–5 mm long, fascicled, close-set, dark brown to almost black, 1(-2)-flowered, if so then with only 1 flower fertile. Glumes 4–5, ovate, acuminate to mucronate, almost awned, dark brown, smooth or slightly scabrid at the back, margins ± ciliate. Nut 1.5–2.0 × c. 1 mm, oblong-obovoid, white or pale brown, surface deeply and ± vertically corrugated; style-base very small, hardly distinct, smooth.
Similar taxa
Machaerina teretifolia is recognised by dark green to yellow-green, terete, internally septate leaves; dark brown to almost black, narrowed and pointed, dense paniculate inflorescences, with more or less approximate branches; and an oblong-obovoid, white or pale brown, deeply corrugated nut.
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. Plants also flourish in pots and do well when planted in a medium comprising mostly untreated pine sawdust.
Etymology
teretifolia: From the Latin teres ‘rounded’ and folium ‘leaf’, meaning terete-shaped leaf. Terete is the opposite to angular and is used in contradistinction when speaking of long bodies, such as stems or leaves.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (23 March 2012). 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 teretifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/machaerina-teretifolia/ (Date website was queried)