What does it look like?
Australian sedge is a deep rooted, densely tufted sedge with harsh leaf edges that will cut fingers when pulled. Plants will form tussocks 30-90cm tall. Leaves are about 5mm wide and Y shaped in cross section.
Flowering stems are triangular in cross section. The seed head is a drooping panicle with green to pale brown triangular seeds hanging at the ends of long, thin, cotton-like filaments.
The plant normally flowers and seeds from October to February.
Preferred habitats are dry areas of disturbed land.
Why is it a problem?
It can form dense cover over farmland and is unpalatable to stock. It can invade scrub and forest margins suppressing native plants and seedlings, and excluding native grasses.
Control methods
Physical control
Dig or grub out (small patches only).
Herbicide control
- Weed wipe (spring-summer): Glyphosate (300ml/L). Or,
- Overall spray (spring-autumn): Glyphosate (150ml/10L).
- Manual control is best in summer, and all tiller bases must be removed to prevent regeneration. Grazing does not control this plant and it only spreads seed, so exclude stock from infested pasture and be aware of stock moving from infested areas if seeding plants are present. Recheck area each year for new seedlings and regrowth and spray as needed. Dense plant cover in both pasture and natural areas will suppress germination of seeds still in the soil. Spot spraying or aerial treatments can achieve excellent results.
- CAUTION: When using any herbicide or pesticide, PLEASE READ THE LABEL THOROUGHLY to ensure that all instructions and safety requirements are followed.
More information
- Australian sedge is listed as a Progressive Containment pest under the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Regional Pest Management Plan 2018-2038.
- Australian sedge is only known to exist in the region north of Putorino, on limited numbers of farms.
Related links
Notify Council
If you think you've found this pest, please get in touch with our Biosecurity Team at biosecurity@hbrc.govt.nz or call us on 0800 108 838.
Management Programme
Progressive Containment Programme
There are a number of pests that are well established in the Hawke’s Bay region but their present infestation levels are still low enough for those levels to be reduced region-wide through a progressive containment programme. Progressive Containment programmes have the less specific aim of reducing levels of infestation within their respective management zones. While the general intent is to reduce these infestations to zero-levels at some time into the future, the primary focus of a progressive containment programme is to preventing a pest from spreading. For well-established pests whose harmful effects and spread can still be reduced, progressive containment offers the best ratio of cost to benefits.
The goal is to maintain a pest population at the lowest feasible level and confine it to a particular area while reducing numbers over time. In some cases this will result in fewer sites infested or in others the overall density of the pest will reduce over a 10 year duration period. Containment programmes usually target habitats of high ecological value that require protection and restoration.
Rules
Plan Rule 5
Except where an occupier of land has entered into a Written Management Agreement approved by Hawke's Bay Regional Council, an occupier of land shall;
a) destroy all apple of Sodom, Australian sedge, cotton thistle, Darwin's barberry, nassella tussock, saffron thistle, velvetleaf, and woolly nightshade plants on their land
b) destroy all Japanise honeysuckle plants on their land within the defined containment area
c) destroy all old man's beard plants on their land within the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges buffer area and containment area.
Taxonomies
TypePlants
GroupPerennial
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeProgressive Containment Programme
RulesPlan Rule 5
