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Shining sedge (Carex flagellifera)

Shining sedge is an introduced ornamental that is available in the Victorian nursery trade. It readily self-seeds in gardens and may naturalise and become invasive, so escaped plants are worth finding and controlling early.

Key facts

Type: Weed, herb.

Native to: New Zealand.

Established in: TAS.

Other names: Weeping sedge, Flagellate sedge.

Best time to act: Look for plants when flowering spikes make them easier to spot, and control them before seed matures.

Identification

  • It grows as a dense, perennial tussock.
  • Its leaves are long, narrow and fine, arching or drooping from the base.
  • The foliage is often green to reddish-brown.
  • Slender flowering stems carry small brownish spikes above the leaves.
  • Look-alike: Other fine-leaved Carex species and native tussock sedges can look similar; check the whole plant, including its flowering spikes, before identification.

Where it grows

In Australia it is grown in gardens and may establish in nearby disturbed or natural areas where it can grow among other vegetation.

Why it matters

  • Self-seeding garden plants can establish beyond cultivation and contribute to naturalised populations.
  • Established tussocks can occupy space and compete with surrounding low-growing plants.
  • Escaped plants may be difficult to notice among other fine-leaved sedges until they form larger clumps or flower.

How it spreads

  • Plants readily self-seed in gardens, and seed can establish beyond the original planting.
  • Seed-bearing plants and contaminated soil or garden waste can spread the plant to new sites.

Control options

  • For small plants, dig or pull out the whole tussock, including the base, and remove seed heads carefully.
  • Dispose of removed plants and seed heads so they cannot resettle or spread; avoid dumping garden waste.
  • For larger infestations, use only herbicides registered for the site and target, or other approved methods, and follow the product label and local requirements.
  • Revisit treated sites and remove regrowth and new seedlings; check state or territory biosecurity guidance and report infestations where required.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean soil and plant material from boots, tools, vehicles and machinery before leaving an infested site, and avoid moving contaminated soil or garden waste.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania

Sources