Netrostylis capillaris
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Tufted, tussock forming, rather gracile perennial herb. Rhizome short and lignaceous, up to 1 mm diameter, covered within membranous, red or pale brown, imbricate bracts. Culms 0.15–1.20 m tall, 0.5 mm diameter, glossy bright green to yellow-green, rather slender, wiry. Basal leaves reduced to red, mucronate, sheathing bracts; the uppermost up to 150 mm long, with a very slender mucro-like lamina, up to 5 mm long. Panicle 15–30 mm long, composed of 2–8 usually stalked spikelets; subtending bracts with a long lamina > spikelets. Spikelets c. 5 mm long, narrow, dark brown or reddish, (1)–2-flowered. Glumes distichous, lanceolate, acuminate, with white membranous margins, the upper 1–2 pubescent towards the apex, the others glabrous, the lower 3–4 and the upper 1–2 empty. Hypogynous bristles 0. Stamens 3. Style-branches 3. Nut 1.5 × 1–1.2 mm, ellipsoid or oblong-ovoid, light brown with 3 white ribs, surface smooth, crowned by a pubescent, persistent style-base,as long as the nut but much narrower throughout.
Similar taxa
Most likely to be confused with Schoenus carsei Cheeseman from which it is best distinguished by the absence of hypogynous bristles (usualy 3 rarely absent in S. carsei), and smaller (1.5 × 1.2 mm cf. 2 × 1 mm) light brown nut bearing three prominent white ribs otherwise smooth, and crowned by a pubescent, persistent style base of equal length to the nut. In Schoenus carsei the nut is uniformly white and smooth, and completely lacking a persistent style-base. Schoenus carsei and Netrostylis have been found growing together.
Distribution
Indigenous. Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand present in the North Island from Te Paki south to about Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay, and in the South Island recorded from the Nelson area and Westland.
Habitat
Coastal to montane. Usually in seral vegetation within swamps, peat bogs, pakihi, gumland scrub, on sand podzols, in dune slacks or in open ground within regenerating kauri (Agathis australis) forest. Sometimes found fringing burn pools in peat bogs.
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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Chaetospora capillacea Hook.f.; Chaetospora capillaris F.Muell.; Cladium capillaceum (Hook.f.)C.B.Clarke; Machaerina capillacea (Hook.f.) Koyama; Tetraria capillaris (F.Muell.) J.M.Black
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–March
Fruiting
January–June (but fruits may be present throughout the year)
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by the division of whole plants, although as with many cyperaceous plants, specimens resent root disturbance and can take some time to recover from transplanting. Best grown in full sun on a poorly draining clay soil.
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]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
capillaris: From the Latin capillus ‘hair’ or ‘thread’, meaning hair-like or thread-like
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.
NETCAP
Chromosome number
2n = 20
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
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Barrett RL, Bruhl JJ, Wilson KL. 2021. Netrostylis, a new genus of Australasian Cyperaceae removed from Tetraria. Telopea 24: 53–60. https://doi.org/10.7751/telopea14922.
Gardner RO. 1998. Schoenus carsei and Tetraria capillaris. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 53: 38–40.
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
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.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Netrostylis capillaris Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/netrostylis-capillaris/ (Date website was queried)