Species
Machaerina arthrophylla
Common Name(s)
none known
Current Conservation Status
2012 - Not Threatened
Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB
Previous Conservation Status
2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened
Authority
Machaerina arthrophylla (Nees) Koyama
Family
Cyperaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
MACART
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.
Structural Class
Sedges
Synonyms
Baumea huttonii (Kirk) Blake; Baumea arthrophylla (Nees) Boeck.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North (Waikato south to Waiouru), South (D'urville Island, Westland, Southland), and Chatham Island. Also in Australia.
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine (up to 1200 m a.s.l.) in freshwater wetlands, especially on the margins of lakes, tarns and slow-flowing streams; also within burn pools in restiad bogs, and in low moor, acidic wetlands.
Features
Dark green, rhizomatous sedge. Rhizome c.3 mm diameter, horizontal, shortly creeping, hard, lignaceous, covered with very loose bracts. Culms 0.5–1.3 m tall, 1–2 mm diameter, terete. Lowermost leaves reduced to sheathing bracts, light brown; upper leaves 1–3, terete like the stems, internally septate, tips acute. Inflorescence a panicle, 100–400 mm long, rounded at the tip, interrupted, branchlets drooping, in distant fascicles, the lowermost often remote, the stoutest lateral branchlet arising from lowest spathaceous bract < 1 mm diameter, usually only c.0.5 mm diameter; bracts large, membranous, acuminate, spathaceous, light greenish brown. Spikelets, 3.0–4.5 mm long, approximate and rather evenly distributed along the branchlets, brown, 2–4-flowered, usually only 2 lowest flowers fertile. Glumes 4–7, ovate, acute, or acuminate, membranous, pale brown below, red towards the apex and scabrid; margins ciliate. Nut 2.0–2.5 x c.1 mm, oblong, trigonous, smooth, whitish, beak small.
Similar Taxa
Machaerina arthrophylla is recognised by the terete, dark green, internally septate leaves; red-brown inflorescences which are rounded at the apices, and whose branches are arranged in distant fascicles (and whose stoutest lateral branchlet of inflorescence arises from the lower most spathaceous bract, and which is <1 mm (usually. c.0.5 mm diameter)); and by the ripe nut which is white, 2.0–2.5 × c.1 mm.
Flowering
October - December
Fruiting
December - May
Propagation Technique
Difficult. Can be grown from fresh seed but slow to establish. Resents root disturbance.
Threats
Not Threatened
Endemic Taxon
No
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Life Cycle and Dispersal
Nuts are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
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.
Wilcox, M. 2002. Baumea arthrophylla at Mahurangi. Auckland Botanical Society, 57: 51
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
This page last updated on 16 Jan 2017