The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Gentianella divisa

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)
divisa: divided

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 divisa (Kirk) Glenny

Family

Gentianaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

GENDIV

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Gentiana bellidifolia var. divisa Kirk, G. divisa (Kirk) Cheeseman, Gentianella bellidifolia var. divisa (Kirk) T.N.Ho et S.W.Liu, Chionogentias divisa (Kirk) L.G.Adams

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, from Canterbury south along the main divide into Fiordland

Habitat

Alpine. A species of field field, ridge lines, stable scree slopes, snowbanks and cushion bog, Herbfield and high altitude tussock grassland.

Features

Plants monocarpic, biennial, possibly triennial, height in flower 40–200 mm. Caudex unbranched, c.20 mm long. Root 2–6 mm diameter at stem base. Flowering stem terminal, 1.7–5.0 mm diameter at base, 1.4–4.0 mm diameter when dry, stem colour green, tinted slightly purple-black, or bronze, lateral branches of the flowering stem erect to decumbent, flowering stem leaves 0–4 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from near base of flowering stem to near apex of flowering stem. Rosette of leaves absent to distinct from flowering stem leaves; leaves elliptic, orbicular, obovate or narrowly obovate, 16–65 × 7.5–21 mm wide, green, usually flat, sometimes V-shaped or channelled, slightly recurved or not; petiole indistinct, c.13 mm long, 2.8–8.0 mm wide at leaf base; leaf apex rounded. Flowering stem leaves narrowly ovate. Pedicels 1-2 per leaf axil, 7–50 mm long, 1.0–1.9 mm diameter. Flowers 11–60 per plant, 15–20 mm long, often female. Calyx 8.5–11.0 mm long, green or bronze, or green tinted purple-black at lobe apices, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line absent; 4–7-lobed, lobes 5.0–9.0 mm long, 2.0–5.0 mm wide at base, plane but surface often rugose, apices acute, margins smooth or minutely denticulate, sinus hairs sparse to abundant. Corolla 4–6-lobed, 13.5–18.6 mm long, white; tube 3.0–5.6 mm long; lobes 10.2–14.5 × 5.2–9.5 mm wide, hairs below sinus present; nectary 0.6–1.9 mm from corolla base. Filaments 8.5–13.4 mm long from corolla base, 0.9–2.4 mm wide. Anthers 1.9–2.8 mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow or orange-red, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless, purple, crimson, or blue. Ovules 29–76 per ovary, ovary yellow or purple-black in maturity. Capsule 15–17 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Recognised by the unbranched caudex, the single taproot, the flat, ± orbicular leaves with obtuse apices and petiole up to 4 mm wide. The central flowering stem is equal in size to the many branches so giving a dense, even surface of flowers. The calyx lobes are wide, project along the lobe fusion lines or overlap each other more than usual, and are rugose on their outer surfaces, often with six calyx lobes. Can be confused with G. corymbifera but G. divisa is usually shorter, and with a much denser branching structure so that the main stem is difficult to see inside the mass of flowers.

Flowering

January – March

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

March – May

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