The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Olearia hectorii

Etymology

Olearia: Derived from the latinised name (Olearius) of the 17th century German botanist Adam Oelenschlager
hectorii: Named after Sir James Hector, 19th century New Zealand geologist and botanist who was originally from Scotland

Common Name(s)

Deciduous tree daisy, Hectors tree daisy

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered

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 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

Qualifiers

2012 - CD, De, RF
2009 - CD, De, RF

Authority

Olearia hectorii Hook.f.

Family

Asteraceae

Brief Description

Rare small-leaved shrub with wide-angled grooved reddish stems bearing clusters of thin grey-green leaves inhabiting river valleys of the eastern South Island. Leaves 20-50mm long by 5-20mm wide. Flowers small, yellowish, on drooping 15mm long stalks, in small groups at base of leaves. Seeds fuzzy.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

OLEHEC

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. Eastern South Island.

Habitat

Lowland to subalpine often at the base of steep hills on colluvium, or on alluvium in situations affected by flooding, debris avalanching, water-logging, drought and/or frost.

Features

Deciduous shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall. Trunk up to 1 m diam., bark thick, somewhat corky, grey, persistent, deeply marked with longitudinal furrows. Branches one to many, often spreading. Branchlets slender, grooved, glabrescent; bark red, red-brown to bronze-red. Adult leaves 2-4 on short shoots or widely spaced along fast growing branchlets; petioles 5 mm, slender; leaf lamina 20-50 x 5-20 mm, grey-green to green above, silvery-grey beneath, narrow-oblong, oblong-ovate to broadly-ovate, undersides clad in silvery tomentum, upper surface glabrescent; lamina margins flat and entire. Capitula in fascicles of 2-6, 5 x 5 mm; pedicels slender, silky hairy, 15 mm long. Florets 20-25, pale yellow, ray-florets 10-15, narrow, rather short, disc florets 10-15. Phyllaries in 2 series, weakly imbricate, oblong, obtuse, exposed surface pilose hairy. Achenes 1-2 mm, narrow-obovate. Pappus-hairs 3-5 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Olearia odorata Petrie and O. fragrantissima Petrie are superficially similar to O. hectorii. From those species O. hectorii can be distinguished by the leaves which are opposite and by its straight branchlets. O. fragrantissima has alternate leaves and zigzag twig stems, while O. odorata has narrower, smaller leaves lacking leaf stalks, and is usually a shrub, rarely a small tree. The North Island O. gardneri Heads, though similar differs by the broadly deltoid, truncate, rather than oblanceolate juvenile leaves, by the smaller, distinctly less hairy adult leaves, white rather than yellow flowers, and narrowly lanceolate, toothed, finely hairy phyllaries (bracts surrounding the flowers). The phyllary hairs are long and wavy.

Flowering

October - December

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

December - February

Propagation Technique

Can be grown from fresh seed and semi-hardwood cuttings. The strike rate of these can be variable, and best results are obtained from cuttings taken after leaf fall in autumn, and kept in a cold frame over winter

Threats

This species is seriously threatened by recruitment failure. The seed of this species requires open sites to germinate in, and in most places such sites are scarce due to the presence of introduced grasses and herbs. Very few O. hectorii populations occur on protected land, and many are now dominated by old senescent trees. This species is also susceptible to browsing animals, and because of the dynamic habitats it occupies floods and slips once so critical for this species regeneration is now a serious threat. Isolated plants produce little viable seed.

Chromosome No.

2n = 108

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 7 May 2014