A large, robust sedge with very sharp-edged leaves that can cut skin easily, giving the plant its common name. The leaves are long and arching, dark green, with finely serrated margins. The seed heads are large and brown, held on tall stalks. A plant that draws blood. The sharp edges are a defence against grazing animals. The leaves are reinforced with silica, making them hard and brittle. When the leaf is bent, the silica crystals snap, creating a sharp edge. Evolution rarely revises the draft. Cutty grass grows in wetlands, swamps and along stream banks throughout New Zealand. It is often the dominant plant in these habitats, forming large clumps that provide shelter for birds and insects. The leaves were used by Māori for weaving, but with caution due to their sharp edges. The leaves were soaked to soften them before use. The seed heads were sometimes used as decorations. To find cutty grass is to walk the margins of wetlands and streams. Look for the large clumps of dark green leaves. Run a finger along the edge and feel the sharpness. It is a plant of the wet places, a sedge that demands respect. The sharp leaves are a warning. Not everything in nature is soft. That is cutty grass. Sharp, demanding, and useful. It cuts. It protects itself. That is enough.