The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Epilobium krulleanum

Etymology

Epilobium: From the Greek epi- 'upon' and lobos 'a pod', the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.

Common Name(s)

willowherb

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Data Deficient

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 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Epilobium krulleanum Hausskn.

Family

Onagraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (eastern from the headwaters of the Awatere and Clarence Rivers south through Hanmer, Canterbury and Central Otago).

Habitat

Montane to alpine on stony ground, in tussock grassland, in frost flats and on rock outcrops in open country.

Features

Tufted, perennial herb 60-195 mm tall, much-branched from woody base, perennating from basal buds; stems densely leafy, initially decumbent, soon becoming erect; plants ± densely covered throughout with short, crisp, erect or appressed hairs, mostly confined to lines decurrent from the margins of the petioles, especially on upper part of stem. Leaves opposite, those within inflorescence alternate, coriaceous, longer than or equal to the stem internodes; lateral veins not prominent, 2-3 on each side of the midrib; petiole 0-3 mm; lamina 3-20 × 1-4 mm, glaucescent to dark purple-green, ovate or ovate-oblong, base attenuate, apex subacute to rounded, entire or obscurely, serrulate, and then with 3-8 weak teeth on each side. Inflorescence erect, the flowers confined to the upper portion stem. Flowers erect. Ovaries 6.5-15.2 mm long, finely and uniformly stigulose, pedicellate, pedicels 1.3-7.1 mm long. Floral tube 0.6-1.3 × 1.9-2.5 mm, adaxially strigulose. Sepals 3.8-4.5 × 2.7-4.2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, not keeled, strigulose. Petals 5.6-9.0 × 3.8-5.5 mm, pink, darkening to rose-pink after pollination, notch 1.2-1.6 mm deep. Stamen filaments white, of two types: long (1.8-4.0 mm long) and short (1.3-2.5 mm long). Anthers 0.6-1.4 × 0.5-0.8 mm, cream. Style 2.8-6.0 mm long, white; stigma 1.0-2.5 x 0.6-0.7 mm, white, clavate, surrounded by the longer or both sets of stamens at anthesis. Capsule 18-28 mm long, glaucescent, glabrous, stiffly erect, on a pedicel 6-18 mm long. Seeds 1.3-1.8 mm long, brown, obovate, apex rounded, base subacute, papillate; coma 6-8 mm long, white, caducous.

Similar Taxa

Allied to Epilobium hectorii which is where Raven & Raven (1976) included it. However, it is distinguished from Epilobium hectorii by its pink flowers (which flush rose-pink after pollination), distinctly larger (5.6-9.0 × 3.8-5.5 mm cf. 2.5-8.2 × 1.8-4.3 mm) petals. which are more deeply notched (1.2-1.6 mm cf. 0.9-1.4 mm in E. hectorii) and by its larger seeds (1.3-1.8 m cf. 0.8-1.3 mm in E. hectorii) which are brown rather than orange or orange-brown, and distinctly papillate rather than finely reticulate. In Epilobium krulleanum the coma is also longer (6-8 mm cf. 4-6 mm long in E. hectorii). Both species are occasionally sympatric in part of their range, though as a rule Epilobium krulleanum has a more restricted range, and it is more common in Marlborough than elsewhere.

Flowering

December - January

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed. Dislikes humid conditions.

Threats

Although Epilobium krulleanum is regarded as not threatened, partly because of its merger with the very common and widespread E. hectorii by Raven & Raven (1976) the species has been overlooked by most field botanists over the last 35 or so years. Therefore accurate information about the status of E. krulleanum is lacking, and the species may yet be better referred to as "Data Deficient" to encourage botanists to survey for the species. Many of the habitats it was recorded from in the past are now heavily modified and in some of these places, e.g., Broken Hill and the Tresslick Basin briefd searches for the species in 2000 did not rediscover it.

Chromosome No.

2n = 36

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Minute pappate seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 14 Sep 2014