This perennial sedge has a upright arching foliage that forms a dense tussock-like habit. It has long glossy dark green linear grass-like leaves and the pendent rusty red flower heads appear above the foliage during spring and persist until summer.

Hardiness zones 9 to 11

Machaerina sinclairiiis naturally found on the North Island of New Zealand growing in seepage drained cliff faces and along river or stream banks and on damp forest floors. It is also bound around cave entrances and appears on coast and in the lower mountains from sea level to an altitude of 900 m (2,952 ft).

It prefers an open to expose sunny to semi shaded position and grows in well-drained moist to dry moderately fertile sandy stony soils. It is frost, drought and salt spray tolerant and is resistant to rabbits and deer.

Pepepe is grown for its leafy clumping habit that is attractive reddish flower heads. It is planted along pathways or borders in parks and gardens or used in a rockery. It is also grown in coastal gardens tolerating exposed positions or mass planted on embankments as a ground cover or used for erosion control.

It is suitable from coastal and a low-mountain regions and establishes in 2-4 years from division and is long-lived. It is also planted in commercial landscapes requiring little care once established and is ideal for revegetation of coastal native habitats. ID 3236

Note:
It may be difficult to obtain outside its native region requiring specialist nursery.

Machaerina (ma-KEE-rinna) sinclairii (sin-KLARE-ee-eye)

Cyperaceae(sy-peer-AY-see-ee)
Sedge Family