Flora of New Zealand Series

Plants us. monoec., rarely dioec. Infl. a panicle, compound raceme, compound spike, cluster of spikes, or a single spike; bracts subtending panicles, spikes or individual spikes of compound infls, us. lf-like, sheathing or not sheathing. Spikes sessile or pedunculate, unisexual or bisexual, composed of ∞ 1-fld spikelets; each spikelet subtended by a glume. Fls unisexual; perianth 0. Male fl. with 3 stamens (rarely 2). Female fl. a single pistil enclosed in a sac-like organ (utricle); style 1, branched above to 2 or 3 stigmas which project from the small orifice at the apex of the utricle. Nut trigonous or biconvex, enclosed within the persistent utricle. Perennial herbs, either tufted, or with creeping subterranean rhizomes. Culms us. trigonous and solid, rarely terete and hollow. Lvs tristichous, us. linear, mostly crowded at base of culm and ensheathing it, with a very minute, membr. ligule at the junction of lf and sheath. A genus of c. 1,500–2,000 spp. in cold and temperate regions or at high altitudes in the tropics. Of the 73 N.Z. spp. 61 are endemic.

SYNOPSIS

(Lvs V-shaped in cross-section are here described as channelled; lvs shaped in cross-section like an inverted W are described as double-folded).

• A. Subgenus PRIMOCAREX. 
• • Spikes solitary, terminal; bisexual or unisexual. Rhachilla often present within utricle. Stigmas 2 or 3:
  • 1. acicularis, 2. enysii, 3. allanii, 4. pyrenaica
• B. Subgenus CAREX. 
• • Spikes several, rarely 1, pedunculate or sessile; us. unisexual, terminal 1–4 spikes us. male, differing in shape from the lower, predominantly female spikes. Stigmas us. 3, or 2
  • 1. Section ELATAE. 
  • • Infl. a compound raceme with long-peduncled spikes. Utricle-beak prominent. Stigmas 3. Lvs double-folded:
    • 5. forsteri, 6. spinirostris, 7. cockayniana, 8. elingamita, 9. kermadecensis
  • 2. Section ECHINOCHLAENAE. 
  • • Infl. a compound raceme or cluster of spikes. Utricle-beak short. Stigmas 2 or 3
    • (a) Series Dissitae. 
    • • Spikes us. distant. Stigmas 3. Lvs channelled or double-folded:
      • 10. chathamica, 11. ventosa, 12. dissita, 13. lambertiana, 14. ochrosaccus, 15. solandri, 16. dallii.
    • (b) Series Uncifoliae. 
    • • Spikes us. all ± approximate. Stigmas 3 or 2. Lvs plano- or concavo-convex, narrow (to 2 mm. wide):
      • 17. traversii, 18. petriei, 19. druceana, 20. libera, 21. edgarae, 22. uncifolia, 23. filamentosa, 24. decurtata, 25. hectori, 26. berggrenii, 27. rubicunda
    • (c) Series
    • • Litorosae. Spikes robust, us. all ± approximate. Utricle-beak us. smooth. Stigmas 3. Lvs plano-convex or double-folded, tip occ. cirrhose:
      • 28. pleiostachys, 29. litorosa, 30. longiculmis
    • (d) Series Cirrhosae. 
    • • Spikes narrow, rather distant. Utricle-beak scabrid with long crura. Stigmas 2 or 3. Lvs narrow (to 1.5 mm. wide), plano- or concavo-convex, tips often cirrhose:
      • 31. comans, 32. fretalis, 33. albula, 34. buchananii, 35. cirrhosa
    • (e) Series
    • • Aculeatae. Glumes hardly awned. Utricles spreading when ripe, beak 0. Stigmas 2. Lvs channelled:
      • 36. dipsacea
    • (f) Series Approximatae. 
    • • Spikes almost all approximate. Stigmas 2. Lvs channelled or double-folded:
      • 37. testacea, 38. raoulii, 39. wakatipu
    • (g) Series Barystachyae. 
    • • Spikes equidistant, stout, cylindric, Stigmas 2. Lvs double-folded:
      • 40. goyenii
    • (h) Series Flagelliferae. 
    • • Spikes us. distant. Stigmas 2. Lvs channelled:
      • 41. flagellifera, 42. devia
  • 3. Section SPIROSTACHYAE. 
  • • Infl. a cluster of spikes. Utricles membr. with long, curved, bifid beaks. Stigmas 3:
    • 43. flaviformis.
  • 4. Section CAPITELLATAE. 
  • • Infl. a solitary, terminal spike. Utricles membr. with very short beak. Stigmas 3:
    • 44. capillacea
  • 5. Section MITRATAE. 
  • • Utricles pubescent:
    • 45. breviculmis
  • 6. Section RHOMBOIDALES. 
  • • Infl. a small compound raceme with all spikes peduncled. Utricle-beak very long. Stigmas 3:
    • 46. inopinata
  • 7. Section PSEUDOCYPEREAE. 
  • • Infl. a compound raceme or cluster of spikes. Glumes small, hyaline, margin fimbriate. Utricles long-beaked, glab. Stigmas 3. Lvs wide, double-folded:
    • 47. fascicularis, 48. maorica
  • 8. Section PHYSOCARPEAE 
  • • . Infl. a cluster of spikes. Utricles very long, long-beaked. Stigmas 3. Lvs channelled:
    • 49. carsei
  • 9. Section PALUDOSAE. 
  • • Infl. a compound raceme. Spikes very sturdy, erect, pedunculate. Stigmas 3. Lvs very wide and double-folded or channelled and blue-green:
    • 50. trifida, 51. pumila
  • 10. Section ACUTAE. 
  • • Infl. a contracted panicle of drooping, geminate, ternate or quinate spikes, or a compound raceme. Utricle-beak 0 or very minute, orifice entire, Stigmas 2:
    • 52. gaudichaudiana, 53. sinclairii, 54. subdola, 55. lessoniana, 56. geminata, 57. coriacea, 58. ternaria
• C. Subgenus VIGNEA. 
• • Spikes several, all ± similar, sessile; us. bisexual, rarely unisexual Stigmas 2. Lvs us. channelled.
  • 1. Section PANICULATAE. 
  • • Infl. a ± contracted panicle or compound spike, subtending bracts 0. Spikes, ∞, bisexual, male fls above female:
    • 59. secta, 60. sectoides, 61. appressa, 62. virgata, 63. diandra.
  • 2. Section ARENARIAE. 
  • • Infl. a very contracted panicle, compound spike, or cluster of spikes, subtending bracts few, almost setaceous. Spikes bisexual, male fls above female, or unisexual; rarely plant dioec.:
    • 64. kaloides, 65. muelleri, 66. kirkii, 67. pterocarpa.
  • 3. Section BRACTEOSAE. 
  • • Infl. a cluster of spikes, subtending bracts lf-like. Spikes few, bisexual, male fls above female. Utricles minutely papillose:
    • 68. trachycarpa
  • 4. Section INVERSAE. 
  • • Infl. a cluster of spikes, subtending bracts lf-like. Spikes few, bisexual, female fls above male. Plants rhizomatous, grasslike:
    • 69. inversa, 70. resectans, 71. colensoi
  • 5. Section STELLULATAE. 
  • • Infl. a compound spike, subtending bract filiform. Spikes bisexual, female fls above male, rarely unisexual; rarely plant dioec. Utricles spreading stellately when ripe:
    • 72. echinata
  • 6. Section CANESCENTES. 
  • • Infl. a cluster of spikes, subtending bracts 0. Spikes bisexual, female fls above male:
    • 73. lachenalii

In Carex the fl.-clusters are morphologically spikes and are so named following the interpretation of Snell (Bull. Torrey bot. Cl. 63, 1936, 277–295); superficially they resemble the true spikelets of such Cyperaceous genera as Scirpus, Schoenus or Gahnia. Each "flower" in Carex is morphologically a spikelet.

Most N.Z. spp. flower between November and January and fr. matures between January and March. In the key and in descriptions, the measurements given for female spikes refer to those with well-developed fr.

The genus was monographed by Kükenthal (Pflanzenr. 38, 1909, 67–767) but since then many regional accounts have appeared. The N.Z. spp. fall into 3 subgenera, Carex, Primocarex and Vignea. Kretchetovich (in Komarov, Fl. U.S.S.R. 3, 1935, 88) considered that Kükenthal's separation of all single-spike Carices into a distinct subgenus Primocarex was artificial and Nelmes (Reinwardtia 1, 1951, 404) placed section Capitellatae, which includes C. capillacea, under subgenus Carex. Kükenthal (op. cit.) placed subgenus Vignea before subgenus Carex, but Nelmes (op. cit. p. 228) suggested that subgenus Vignea may have arisen at a later date than subgenus Carex, and many recent treatments of Carex place subgenus Vignea last.

The N.Z. spp. fall into 17 sections within these three subgenera. Hamlin has revised the N.Z. spp. of the following sections—s  ubgenus Carex : section Acutae, T.R.S.N.Z. 82, 1954, 49–64, and 85, 1958, 394–396; section Pseudocypereae, T.R.S.N.Z. 84, 1957, 683–687; section Elatae, T.R.S.N.Z. 85, 1958, 387–393; section Echinochlaenae, Rec. Dom. Mus., Wellington 6, 1968, 97–111; and subgenus Primocarex, T.R.S.N.Z. (Bot.) 1, 1962, 269–277.

Many of these sections are not closely related so that the order in which they are placed in the following synopsis is largely arbitrary. The characters given in the synopsis are only those of N.Z. members of the various sections.

A number of spp. have been introduced into N.Z. and several have become naturalised. Possibly the most common of these is C. ovalis Good. ( subgenus Vignea, formerly known as C. leporina L.) which Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 262) regarded as probably introduced. The following are also common naturalised spp.

 Subgenus Carex : C. demissa Hornemann, very close to C. flaviformis but with smaller, more distant spikes which are light yellow-green rather than yellow-brown; C. flacca Schreb. which resembles C. sinclairii but has papillose utricles; C. longebrachiata Boeck, which differs from most native spp. of subgenus Carex in having spikes on long drooping peduncles, clustered 2–4 in the axils of the lf-like infl.–bracts. This Australian sp. has been declared a noxious weed in some counties in North Auckland and Molloy and Edgar (N.Z. J. Agric. 114, 1967, 41–47) list the features distinguishing it from the native C. flagellifera Col. (C. lucida) with which it is often found growing.

Subgenus Vignea : C. divulsa Good., rather similar to C. virgata in habit but with green, smooth utricles; C. divisa Huds., rather similar to C. diandra but with longer utricles which have ciliate rather than sharply toothed margins.

Carex brownii Tuck., an Australian sp. was included among the indigenous spp. by Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 834, and 1925, 277). It has been collected only once in N.Z. from Lake Tangonge, near Kaitaia, by R. H. Matthews.

Fig. 43. CAREX. Examples of three Subgenera: inflorescences; for  Subgenus Carex also utricle and portions of leaves—a=double-folded, b=channelled, c=plano.convex. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X32]