Poaceae

Carex inopinata Cook (Cyperaceae) and Simplicia laxa Kirk (Poaceae) are two threatened ‘grassy’ plants that generally occur in dry grassland and rock outcrop habitats. However, the restriction of these species to such areas may indicate relict habitats. We tested this idea by translocating both species to Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary, near Dunedin. Carex inopinata was translocated to two sites (moderately- and highly-shaded) in 2010 and Simplicia laxa was translocated in 2011, but only to one site due to insuf cient propagated material.

Flowering intensity and plant size were monitored in 155 Festuca novae-zelandiae individuals over four years to determine if trade-offs exist between inflorescence production and vegetative growth, and between inflorescence production in different years. Less than half of the population flowered in any one year, 36% of individuals did not flower at all, and only 17% flowered in all four years of the study. Mean number of inflorescences per individual per year varied from 1.54 to 5.53 (maximum = 85).