Species
Ourisia vulcanica
Etymology
Ourisia: after Ouris, governor of the Falkland Islands
vulcanica: Of volcanoes
Common Name(s)
Mountain Foxglove
Current Conservation Status
2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB
Previous Conservation Status
2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Not Threatened
Qualifiers
2012 - Sp
Authority
Ourisia vulcanica L.B.Moore
Family
Plantaginaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
OURVUL
The
National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites
Synonyms
None
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, Central Volanic Plateau
Habitat
Mostly alpine in shaded sites, on rocky ground, near streams, in herbfield or amongst tussock.
Features
Perennial herbs 60-170 mm tall, with erect inflorescences and flat to ascending leaves; stems 2.6-5.8 mm diameter; internodes 3.6-7.3 mm long, scarcely discernible because of tight clustering of leaves, glabrous. Leaves tightly tufted at terminus of stem or in subrosettes or opposite; petiole 3.0-22.0 x 0.7-5.2 mm, sparsely to densely eglandular villous on the margins only; lamina 6.9-26.8 x 4.7-20.1 mm, narrowly to broadly ovate, apex subacute, bases cuneate, margin regularly crenate, upper surface glabrescent, hairs sparse, eglandular, on proximal margins, undersides punctate. Inflorescence racemose, 66-177 mm long, bracteate, with 1-4 flowering nodes per inflorescence, 2-3 bracts and 1-3 flowers per node and c.1-8 flowers per raceme; peduncle 0.7-2.0 mm diameter, eglandular pilose. Floral bracts 9.4-19.4 x 3.4-9.4 mm, becoming smaller toward apex, sessile, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, rarely ovate, in proximal bracts margin with a few irregular, round teeth on the distal third to half of lamina, in distal bracts margin subentire to entire, glabrous or pilose on margins only, hairs eglandular, 0.4-0.8 mm long. Flowers 12.6-15.9 x 9.2-16.6 mm; pedicel 5.9-25.4 mm long, sparsely to densely pilose, hairs up to 1.1. mm long, eglandular, rarely mixed with short, glandular hairs near calyx base. Calyx 5.6-8.6 x 5.7-8.2 mm, irregular, externally glabrous or with isolated eglandular hairs to 0.7 mm long near base only, internally glabrous, margin ciliate, with isolated to densely distributed eglandular hairs to 0.7 mm long; anterior calyx lobes 5.1-7.6 x 1.6-2.9 mm, posterior calyx lobes 2.6-4.5 x 1.4-2.4 mm, 3 posterior calyx lobes divided 1/4-1/2 of length, 2 anterior lobes divided almost to base, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, elliptic, slightly tapering to a rounded or sometimes subtruncate apex bearing a hydathode, undersides 3-veined. Corolla 11.7-15.6 x 16.4-19.9 mm when flat, bilabiate, tubular-funnelform, white, sometimes flushed red, glabrous or externally bearing isolated, eglandular hairs near base of corolla lobes; tube 5.4-9.4 x 5.3-7.6 mm at apex, 2.3-2.7 mm wide at base, not constricted near base, yellow inside with 3 lines of hairs extending to the corolla lobes and forming a ring around the corolla tube mouth; anterior corolla lobes 5.1-8.2 x 3.8-6.1 mm at widest point, 2.4-3.6 mm wide at base, posterior lobes 4.0-6.2 x 3.6-5.7 mm wide at widest point, 3.1-3.8 mm wide at base, widely spreading, obovate-spathulate, obcordate, apex plane or slightly emarginate. Stamens 4, didynamous; comprising two long stamens 8.2-11.5 mm long, exserted, or rarely only reaching tube opening, and two short stamens 6.5-9.9 mm long, reaching tube opening or exserted; anthers 0.7-1.2 x 0.8-1.4, reniform to horseshoe-shaped; staminode c.0.5 mm long inserted 0.3 mm above base of corolla, or absent, Style 6.0-7.4 mm long, straight, exserted; stigma 0.4-0.9 mm diameter, emarginate; ovary 2.5-4.0 x 1.6-2.0 mm, c.4.2 mm diameter, glabrous. Capsule 5.6 x 4.2 mm, glabrous with loculicidal dehiscence; fruiting pedicels 22.5-29.8 mm long. Seeds 0.7-0.9 x 0.3-0.5 mm.
Similar Taxa
Distinguished by the small, compact, creeping or subrosette growth habit, very short internodes (often obscured by leaves), sparsely, mostly eglandular, hairy leaves, bracts, peduncles and pedicels.
Flowering
October - May
Flower Colours
Red / Pink,White
Fruiting
December - May
Propagation Technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild
Threats
Not Threatened
Chromosome No.
2n = 48
Endemic Taxon
Yes
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Description based on Meudt (2006).
References and further reading
Meudt, H.M. 2006: Monograph of Ourisia (Plantaginaceae), Systematic Botany Monographs 77.188pp.
This page last updated on 3 Jan 2014