Bamboo rush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bamboo rush |
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Sporadanthus ferrugineus growing at the bog of Moanatuatua Scientific Reserve | |
Conservation status | |
Invalid status (NZ TCS)
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Scientific classification | |
Genus: |
Sporadanthus
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Species: |
ferrugineus
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Sporadanthus ferrugineus, the bamboo rush or giant wire rush, is a plant endemic to New Zealand. In 2011, it was voted "Plant of the Year" in a poll run by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Described in 1999, S. ferrugineus was first considered to be the same species as Sporadanthus traversii which is native to northern parts of the Chatham Islands to the south of New Zealand and the Southern Tablelands in Australia. S. ferrugineus is the only known food source for the moth Houdinia flexilissima.
Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, it is classified as "At Risk - Relict" (It has both a restricted range, and its documented decline shows it as now occupying less than 10% of its former range, but the population is considered stable.)