The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Epilobium tasmanicum

Etymology

Epilobium: From the Greek epi- 'upon' and lobos 'a pod', the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.
tasmanicum: Of or from Tasmania (Australia); named in honour of 17th century Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603-1659)

Common Name(s)

Willowherb

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

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 tasmanicum Hausskn.

Family

Onagraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

EPITAS

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Indigenous: New Zealand: South Island (from Nelson to Southland). Australia (New South Wales and Tasmania)

Habitat

Alpine in moist places in fellfield, herbfield at the bases of cliff faces or in the shelter of rocks. Also inhabiting fine-grained scree, often in the vicinity of areas of snow-melt or glacial cirques.

Features

Perennial, matted, creeping alpine herb, stems rooting at nodes, much interwoven, or with erect reddish stems up to 150 mm tall; stems glabrous or with lines of fine strigulose hairs decurrent from the margins of the petioles. Leaves mostly opposite, alternate in the inflorescence, longer than the internodes they subtend, glossy, the lateral veins barely visible, 1-3 on each side of the midrib; petiole 1-2 mm long, usually appressed to main stem; lamina 6-20 × 2-55 mm, bright green, narrowly elliptic or elliptic, base attenuate, apex acute to subentire, margins serrulate, with 3-5 teeth on each side, or subentire. Inflorescence nodding in erect forms, the flowers scattered well down the stem. Flowers erect. Ovaries 9-12 mm long, glabrous, pedicels 1.5-5.0 mm. Floral tube 0.5-1.1 × 1.2-2.2 mm, glabrous. Sepals 1.7-3.5 × 0.9-1.4 mm. not keeled, glabrous, often reddish-margined. Petals 3.3-5.0 × 1.5-3.6 mm, the notch 0.5-1.1 mm deep. white. Stamen filaments white of two types: long (1.0-2.5 mm long) and short (0.5-1.8 mm long). Anthers 0.4-0.45 × 0.3-0.4 mm, yellow. Style 1.0-1.6 mm long, white; stigma 0.9-2.2 x 0.5-0.7 mm, white, clavate. Capsule 8-22 mm long, bright-green, ± succulent, glabrous, on a pedicel 2-40 mm long. Seeds 0.9-1.2 mm long, orange to orange-brown, obovate, apex rounded, base subacute, finely papillate; coma 3-5 mm long, white, caducous.

Similar Taxa

Epilobium tasmanicum is distinguished from other New Zealand epilobia by the restriction to the South Island where it inhabits alpine areas only; bright green, narrowly elliptic or elliptic Leaves that are 6-20 × 2-55 mm with 3-5 teeth on each side; by the nodding inflorescence; flowers with sepals 1.7-3.5 × 0.9-1.4 mm; white petals, and glabrous ovaries; and by the bright-green, glabrous, somewhat fleshy 8-22 mm long capsule.

Flowering

December - March

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

January - April

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Best grown in a rockery or alpine house. Dislikes humidity and warmth.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 36

Endemic Taxon

No

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 22 Sep 2014