Botanical name:

Carex buchananii

Common name(s):

Carex Red Rooster, Buchanan’s sedge, cutty grass

About:

A striking native New Zealand tussock displaying a reddish-brown hue, reaching heights of up to 50cm. Characterised by its tidy form and upright silvery flower spikes, this Carex is adaptable to a variety of growing conditions. Its appealing bronze shade adds a wonderful contrast in home gardens and landscaping designs.

Natural habitat:

Coastal to montane (up to 1000m). On beaches, lagoon, lake and stream margins, or in damp ground within open forest or short tussock grassland.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Drought, Salt, Wind, Coastal & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

New Zealand: North and South Islands. In the North Island uncommon. Known there only from scattered sites south of the Manawatu. In the South Island more widespread and at times locally common, though often sporadically distributed, and apparently absent from Westland and Fiordland. Scarce in Southland. Naturalised in Auckland City.

Height: 0.5m

Flowering:

October - December

Fruiting:

November - June

Uses:

Riparian plantings & Pioneer Plantings.

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed and by the division of whole plants. Will tolerate most conditions, but does best in full sun in a permanently damp soil. In ideal conditions this species often naturalises, and it can at times become invasive. Next to C. comans this is one of the most commonly cultivated indigenous sedges.

** Seed germinates without pre treatment. Sow seed direct & keep moist until germination is complete.