''Gahnia'' (sawsedge, saw-sedge) is a genus of sedges native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Southeast Asia, New Guinea,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Zealand and a number of

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The common name is due to the toothed margins. It often forms tussocks.

Species

Accepted species: *'' Gahnia ancistrophylla'' Benth. – Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria *''

Gahnia aristata ''Gahnia aristata'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, endemic to Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia ex ...

'' Benth. – Western Australia *''

Gahnia aspera ''Gahnia aspera'' known as the rough saw-sedge or round sawsedge is a tussock forming perennial plant, often seen in moist situations. The long strap like leaves grow to 80 cm long. Originally described by botanist Robert Brown as ''Lamp ...

'' (R.Br.) Spreng. – Maluku, New Guinea, Queensland, New South Wales, Melanesia, Bonin Islands, Hawaii *'' Gahnia australis'' (Nees) K.L.Wilson – Western Australia *''

Gahnia baniensis ''Gahnia baniensis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right o ...

'' Benl. – Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Vietnam, Borneo, Malaysia, Sumatra *''

Gahnia beecheyi ''Gahnia beecheyi'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. ...

'' H.Mann – forest sawsedge – Hawaii *'' Gahnia clarkei'' Benl – New Guinea, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria *'' Gahnia decomposita'' (R.Br.) Benth. – Western Australia *'' Gahnia deusta'' (R.Br.) Benth. – Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria *''

Gahnia drummondii ''Gahnia drummondii'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to south western parts of Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent ...

'' (Steud.) K.L.Wilson – Western Australia *'' Gahnia erythrocarpa'' R.Br. – New South Wales *'' Gahnia filifolia'' (C.Presl) Kük. ex Benl – New South Wales *'' Gahnia filum'' (Labill.) F.Muell.— chaffy sawsedge – Australia, all states except Queensland *''

Gahnia graminifolia ''Gahnia graminifolia'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption ...

'' Rodway – Tasmania *'' Gahnia grandis'' (Labill.) S.T.Blake – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria *''

Gahnia halmaturina ''Gahnia halmaturina'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some o ...

'' R.L.Barrett & K.L.Wilson – South Australia *'' Gahnia howeana'' R.O.Gardner – Lord Howe Island *'' Gahnia hystrix'' J.M.Black – Kangaroo Island *''

Gahnia insignis ''Gahnia insignis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to eastern parts of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the main ...

'' S.T.Blake – Queensland, New South Wales *''

Gahnia javanica ''Gahnia javanica'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of Asia and Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea ...

'' Moritzi – Yunnan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands *''

Gahnia lacera ''Gahnia lacera'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of the North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from th ...

'' (R.Lesson ex A.Rich.) Steud. – Cutty grass – New Zealand North Island *'' Gahnia lanaiensis'' O.Deg., I.Deg. & J.Kern -- Lanaʻi sawsedge – Lanaʻi Island of Hawai'i *''

Gahnia lanigera ''Gahnia lanigera'', also known as the black grass saw-sedge, desert saw-sedge or little saw-sedge , is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family that is found in southern Australia. The specific epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, ...

'' (R.Br.) Benth. – Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales *'' Gahnia marquisensis'' F.Br. – Marquesas *'' Gahnia melanocarpa'' R.Br. – Black-fruit saw-sedge – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria *''

Gahnia microcarpa ''Gahnia microcarpa'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt ...

'' Guillaumin – New Caledonia *'' Gahnia microstachya'' Benth. – Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania *''

Gahnia novocaledonensis ''Gahnia novocaledonensis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , m ...

'' Benl – New Caledonia *''

Gahnia pauciflora ''Gahnia pauciflora'', commonly called cutting sedge, is a native sedge of New Zealand. It is found throughout the North Island and top of the South Island of New Zealand. The specific epithet ''pauciflora'' is Latin Latin (, or , ) is a ...

'' Kirk – Cutting sedge – New Zealand North and South Islands *''

Gahnia procera ''Gahnia procera'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of New Zealand. References procera Procera is a hypothetical clade of amphibians that includes salamanders and caecilians but not frogs. ...

'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. – Mountain sedge – New Zealand North and South Islands *'' Gahnia radula'' (R.Br.) Benth. – Thatch saw-sedge – Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia *''

Gahnia rigida ''Gahnia rigida'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasse ...

'' Kirk – New Zealand North and South Islands *'' Gahnia schoenoides'' G.Forst. – Society Islands *''

Gahnia sclerioides ''Gahnia sclerioides'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to south western parts of Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent ...

'' K.L.Wilson – Western Australia *''

Gahnia setifolia ''Gahnia setifolia'', commonly known as mapere, gahnia, giant gahnia, or razor sedge is a native sedge of New Zealand. It is found throughout the North Island and top of the South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the large ...

'' Hook.f. – Māpere, razor sedge – New Zealand North and South Islands *'' Gahnia sieberiana'' Kunth – Red-fruited saw sedge – Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia *'' Gahnia sinuosa'' J.Raynal – New Caledonia *''

Gahnia subaequiglumis ''Gahnia subaequiglumis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to eastern parts of Australia from south eastern Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map ...

'' S.T.Blake – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria *''

Gahnia trifida ''Gahnia trifida'', the coastal saw-sedge, is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, endemic to southern Australia. A herb, sedge or grass-like, with very rough leaf margins and underside. The species grows in dense tussocks, 1. ...

'' Labill. – Coast saw-sedge – Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia *''

Gahnia tristis ''Gahnia tristis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to parts of south east Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own ...

'' Nees in W.J.Hooker & G.A.W.Arnott – China, Ryukyu Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Malaysia, Sumatra *''

Gahnia vitiensis ''Gahnia vitiensis'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to Fiji and Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. ...

'' Rendle -- Fijian sawsedge – Fiji, Hawaii *''

Gahnia xanthocarpa ''Gahnia xanthocarpa'' is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, that is native to New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses— ...

'' (Hook.f.) Hook.f. – Māpere, gahnia – New Zealand North and South Islands

Conservation

The species ''Gahnia lanaiensis'' has been known as a rare endemic plant from the Hawaiian island of

Lanai Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

and it was federally listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of the United States. In 2010, however, research suggested that the Lanai plants are actually ''

'' introduced from New Zealand in the early 20th century.Koyama, T. (2010)
On the identity of ''Gahnia lanaiensis'' O. Deg., I. Deg. & J. Kern (Cyperaceae) of Hawai‘i.
''Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2008'' Evenhuis, N. L. and L. G. Eldredge, Eds. ''Bishop Museum Occasional Papers'' 107: 29–32.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q977615 Cyperaceae genera