Carex buchananii, common names Buchanan's sedge, cutty grass, is a species of sedge (in the Cyperaceae family). It is endemic to New Zealand, being found on both the North and South Islands.[4]

Carex buchananii

Declining (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Carex
Species:
C. buchananii
Binomial name
Carex buchananii
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[4]

Carex tenax Berggr.
Carex lucida Boott var. buchanani (Berggr.) Kük

It has no synonyms according to Plants of the world online,[5] but two according to the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network[4]

Description

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It is a reddish-brown, densely tufted sedge.[4]

It flowers from October to December and fruits from November to June[4] and the nuts are dispersed by granivory and wind.[6]

Distribution & habitat

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It is uncommon in the North Island, being found south of the Manawatu. In the South Island it is found more widely but has not been found in Westland and Fiordland. It is found from the coast to the mountains (to an altitude of 1000 m) growing on beaches and lake and stream margins.[4]

Conservation status

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Assessments under the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS), declared it to be "Not Threatened" in 2013, but in 2017 to be "At Risk - Declining" (Dec).[1]

In the UK it is naturalised and considered an invasive species.[7]

Taxonomy & naming

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It was first described in 1880 by Sven Berggren,[2][3] who gave it the specific epithet, Buchanani (now buchananii), to honour the New Zealand botanist, John Buchanan (1819-1898).[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b de Lange, P.J. et al."Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017" (PDF). 2017. p. 9.
  2. ^ a b "NZOR Name Details - Carex buchananii Berggr". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b Berggren, S. (1880) "New New Zealand Plants", Journal of Botany 18: 104
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Carex buchananii | New Zealand Plant Conservation Network". nzpcn.org.nz. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Carex buchananii Berggr. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  6. ^ 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. 11 (4): 285–309. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001. ISSN 1433-8319.
  7. ^ "Invasive species compendium: Carex buchananii". www.cabi.org. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
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