Grassy Mat Sedge

Botanical name: Carex inopinata
Synonyms: None
Common name(s): Grassy mat sedge

About:
A small mat-forming endemic sedge with creeping rhizomes, fine grass-like foliage and distinctive large red-brown utricles. An unusual species valued for its delicate appearance and drought tolerance.

Natural habitat:
Riparian terraces, limestone and schist outcrops, forest margins, rubbly slopes and semi-shaded rocky habitats.

Growing environment:
Prefers semi-shaded sites with well-drained moderately fertile soils. Tolerates drought well once established and performs best where competition from taller plants is limited.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to the eastern South Island from the upper Awatere River south to Deep Creek and Tapanui in Southland.

Height:
Foliage to 10 cm tall

Width:
Spreading by long creeping rhizomes to form diffuse mats

Flowering:
October – January

Fruiting:
November – February

Uses:

• Ground cover planting
• Rock gardens
• Native alpine-style gardens
• Semi-shaded banks
• Limestone garden plantings
• Restoration planting
• Rural planting
• Container growing

Appearance:
A low mat-forming sedge with widely creeping rhizomes and small distant tufts of dark green grass-like leaves. The large red-brown utricles are especially distinctive and contrast strongly against the fine foliage.

Ecology:
Occurs naturally in fertile semi-shaded habitats with limited competition. Seeds enclosed within inflated utricles are dispersed by wind and granivory.

Associated habitats:
Forest margins, riparian terraces, limestone bluffs, schist overhangs, shrubland margins and rocky semi-shaded slopes.

How to grow:
Easy to grow from rooted divisions or fresh seed. Best planted in free-draining soils with moderate fertility and some shelter from aggressive surrounding vegetation. Very drought tolerant once established.

Propagation:
Readily propagated from rooted pieces and fresh seed.

Cultural use:
Part of the specialised indigenous sedge flora associated with limestone and rocky habitats of the eastern South Island.

Garden value:
An attractive and unusual native sedge ideal for fine-textured ground cover in semi-shaded gardens, rockeries and dry native plantings. Its creeping habit and distinctive seed structures make it highly ornamental in suitable conditions.