Hook Sedge

Botanical name: Carex erythrovaginata
Synonyms: Uncinia laxiflora
Common name(s): Lax bastard grass, Hook sedge, Red sheath sedge

Plant facts:
A robust forest sedge recognised for its dark green foliage, reddish leaf sheaths and lax flowering spikes. Forms dense tussocks in damp forest habitats and is one of New Zealand’s more distinctive hook sedges.

Natural habitat:
Moist coastal to montane forest, especially along shaded stream margins and damp gullies.

Growing environment:
Prefers permanently moist soils in semi-shaded to shaded situations. Tolerates a wide range of substrates provided moisture is reliable.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand. Found throughout the North Island and South Island south to Dunedin.

Height:
400 mm – 1 m tall

Width:
Forms dense upright tussocks

Flowering:
October – November

Fruiting:
November – January (-March)

Uses:

• Native forest plantings
• Riparian restoration
• Damp shaded gardens
• Wetland margins
• Erosion control
• Rain gardens
• Understorey planting

Appearance:

Growth habit:
Stout densely tufted sedge with upright trigonous culms and arching foliage.

Foliage:
Leaves dark green, flat and strongly roughened on the upper surface and margins. Basal sheaths and lower leaf bases are often flushed reddish pink.

Flowers:
Flower spikes slender and lax with widely spaced female flowers and occasional leafy bracts at the base.

Flower colours:
Green, Brown

Fruit:
Very pale grey utricles with green tapering beaks carried along elongated spikes.

Ecology:
Occurs naturally in moist forest ecosystems where it contributes to understorey diversity and stabilises damp soils. Seeds are dispersed by wind and animals.

Associated habitats:
Often associated with riparian forest, shaded gullies, swamp forest margins and damp broadleaf forest.

How to grow:
Easy to cultivate from fresh seed or division. Best grown in semi-shade with permanently moist peaty or humus-rich soil. Will tolerate drier conditions once established but performs best with reliable moisture.

Propagation:
Readily propagated from fresh seed and division of established clumps.

Cultural use:
Part of the indigenous sedge flora traditionally associated with damp forest ecosystems and wetland environments important to Māori resource areas.

Garden value:
An excellent native sedge for shaded damp gardens and stream margins. Its rich green foliage and reddish basal sheaths provide strong texture and colour contrast in woodland plantings.