The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Gentianella bellidifolia

Etymology

Gentianella: Little Gentiana (named after Gentius, 6th century king of Illyria, who found the roots of the yellow gentian to have a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops)

Common Name(s)

Gentian

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

Gentianella bellidifolia Hook.f.

Family

Gentianaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

GENBEL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Gentiana bellidifolia Hook.f., Gentiana bellidifolia var. australis Petrie ex Cheeseman, Gentiana flaccida Petrie, Chionogentias bellidifolia (Hook.f.) L.G.Adams, Oreophylax bellidifolius (Hook.f.) Á.Löve nom. inval.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand North and South Islands from Pureora south.

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine in tussock grasslands, herbfields and fellfields

Features

Plants polycarpic, height in flower 80–370 mm. Root 1.2–6.0 mm diameter at stem base. Caudex unbranched or branched, 15–90 mm long, stolons absent. Flowering stems lateral only, 1–13 per plant, largest flowering stem 1.0–3.2 mm diameter, green, tinted purple-black, or bronze, lateral flowering stems erect or decumbent, stem leaves 2–4 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from halfway up flowering stem or near apex of flowering stem. Rosette of leaves present and distinct from flowering stem leaves, leaves narrowly elliptic, elliptic, rhomboid, or orbicular, 11.0–140.0 × 4.0–12.5 mm, green or tinted purple-black, channelled, larger leaves V-shaped, leaf apex acute to rounded; petiole usually distinct, 7.0–27.0 × 0.8–4.6 mm. Flowering stem leaves elliptic to narrowly ovate. Pedicels 1 per leaf axil, 1–48 mm long, 0.8–1.9 mm diameter, 0.5–0.8 mm diameter when dry. Flowers 1–45 per plant, 12–23 mm long, rarely female. Calyx 8.2–13 mm long; lobes 3.8–8.3 mm long, 1.7–4.2 mm wide at base, green or green tinted purple-black, crimson, or brown, plane, lobe apices acute, margins convex, smooth or minutely denticulate, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present or absent, hairs at lobe sinuses few. Corolla 15.6–22.6 mm long, white (in the South Island) or with veins coloured grey-violet (in the North Island), tube 3.4–6.0 mm long; lobes 11.1–17.0 × 6.3–12.4 mm, hairs above sinus present; nectary 0.4–1.4 mm from corolla base. Filaments 7.7–12.5 mm long from corolla base, 0.6–2.0 mm wide. Anthers 1.8–3.0 mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless. Ovules 16–68 per ovary, ovary yellow in maturity, rarely turning blue. Capsule 17–24 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Recognised by the flowering stems arising from below the apex of the leaf rosettes; polycarpic flowering habit; narrowly elliptic, elliptic, rhomboid, or orbicular green or purple-black tinted leaves (11-142 mm long); stem leaves sessile and smaller than rosette leaves; large white flowers. Closest to G. amabilis from which differs by its taller growth habit, unspotted leaves narrower calyx lobes 1.7–4.4 mm (cf. 3.1–4.7 mm wide G. amabilis), and narrower filaments (1.2 mm cf. 1.7 mmwide).

Flowering

February – April

Flower Colours

Grey,White

Fruiting

March - June

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 36

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)

This page last updated on 26 Sep 2014