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  4. Sporadanthus traversii

Sporadanthus traversii

Sporadanthus traversii restiad bog, Taia, Chatham (Rekohu) Island, July 2002.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Sporadanthus traversii restiad bog, Taia, Chatham (Rekohu) Island, July 2002.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Sporadanthus traversii.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</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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Common names

Chatham Island bamboo rush,

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Rushes & Allied Plants

Flower colours

Brown, Yellow

Detailed description

Slender, upright to sprawling dioecious perennial, 0.6–1.8–(2 .5) m tall, forming dense somewhat flaccid rafts. Rhizome 3–10 mm diameter, horizontal, sparingly branched, covered with tightly appressed, overlapping scales; scales 3–12 × 2–12 mm, broadly ovate to ± deltoid, chartaceous, dark brown, lustrous, apex rounded and mucronate. Roots 3–4 mm diameter, 50–120 mm long, grey, with few (if any) rootlets. Culms up to 2 m long, 1–5 mm diameter, gradually tapering toward distal end, firm, flexuose, slender, terete, smooth, dark green-brown to brown, often blotched black; branched in upper ⅔, branches numerous, firm, flexuose, scrambling, terete; basal 50–65 mm of culm slightly swollen with soft, spongy, light brown tissue; base with 3–7 loosely appressed, overlapping scales; scales 8–25 × 10–12 mm, ovate to narrowly ovate, coriaceous, light brown to brown, nerves distinct, apex rounded and mucronate. Leaves along culm solitary, distant; lamina 15–30 × 6–11 mm, narrowly ovate, chartaceous, tan, brown to grey-brown, appressed to and sheathing culm, nerves distinct; margins entire to praemorse; apex rounded, mucronate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, often with cymose branching near base, 30–150–(200) mm long, dark dull brown, upright to spreading; male and female inflorescences sparse, not crowded; flowers subtended by 2 bractlets, subtended by 1 bract; inflorescence branchlets subtended by reduced leaves. Bracts 5.5–10.0 × 2.6–3.0 mm, ovate, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, light brown, membranous, apex acuminate, margins fimbriate. Bractlets 5.2–5.8 × 1.0–1.6 mm, lanceolate, membranous, light brown to yellow-brown, apex acuminate, margins entire. Flowers pedicellate to almost sessile. Tepals 6, in 2 whorls of 3, 4.0–6.0 × 1.0–1.2 mm, lanceolate, light brown, channelled, keeled, apex strongly acuminate. Male flowers with 3 stamens; filaments 1.6–3.0 mm long, anthers 1.8–2.3 mm long, cream, pollen yellow; pistil rudimentary. Female flowers with 1 pistil; style 1.0–1.5 mm long, pale orange, papillose on upper surface; ovary 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm, ellipsoid, brown to light brown, glossy; staminodes 3, each 1.5–1.6 mm long. Fruit 3.0–3.5 × 1.0–1.2 mm, oblong-ellipsoid, light brown to brown, surmounted by persistent short style; indehiscent. Seed 1.2–1.5 × 0 .9–1.0 mm, oblong to broadly ovate, dark brown.

Similar taxa

Distinguished from the North Island endemic Sporadanthus ferrugineus de Lange, Heenan et B.D.Clarkson by its restriction to Chatham Island; by the culms which are 1–5 mm rather than 10–15 diameter; tepals which are keeled and acuminate rather than not keeled and mucronate, and 4–6 mm rather than 2–3 mm long; by the fruit which is oblong-ellipsoid rather than ellipsoid, 3.0–3.5 mm rather than 1.0–1.5 mm long, and indehiscent; and by the seed which is 1.2–1.5 × 0.9–1.0 mm rather than 0.7–0.8 × 0.5–0.6 mm long.

Distribution

Endemic. Chatham Island only

Habitat

Found mainly on wet peat domes, also occurring in peaty dune hollows and on lake margins.

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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, OL

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

It is threatened by burning, and to a lesser extent ploughing and sowing pasture species and also by prolonged cattle grazing in places. The weed species chilean guava (Ugni molinae) is a threat to some populations.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Restionaceae

Authority

Sporadanthus traversii (F.Muell.) F.Muell.

Synonyms

Lepyrodia traversii F.Muell.

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–February

Fruiting

February–March

Propagation technique

Difficult, should not be removed from the wild. Has been grown from seed but difficult to maintain.

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

Etymology

traversii: Named after William Thomas Locke Travers (1819-1903) who was an Irish lawyer, magistrate, politician, explorer, naturalist, photographer. He lived in New Zealand from 1849 and was a fellow of the Linnean Society.

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.

SPOTRA

Chromosome number

2n = 18

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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, OL

2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, OL

2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CD, ST, IE

2004 | Range Restricted

Jump to current conservation status

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

de Lange PJ, Heenan PB, Clarkson BD, Clarkson BR. 1999. Taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of Sporadanthus (Restionaceae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 37(3): 413–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1999.9512645.

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 18 January 2005. Description adapted from de Lange et al. (1999).

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Sporadanthus traversii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/sporadanthus-traversii/ (Date website was queried)

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