The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Geum cockaynei

Etymology

Geum: Possibly from the Greek geuo 'to give a pleasant flavour', the roots of some species being aromatic.
cockaynei: Named after Leonard Cockayne FRS (7 April 1855 - 8 July 1934) who is regarded as New Zealand's greatest botanist and a founder of modern science in New Zealand

Common Name(s)

Cockayne's Geum

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

Geum cockaynei (Bolle) Molloy et C.J.Webb

Family

Rosaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

GEUCOC

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Oncostylus cockaynei F.Bolle; New Zealand plants have been incorrectly referred to the South American Geum parviflorum Smith

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North and South Islands from the Raukumara Ranges south.

Habitat

Montane to subalpine grassland and herbfield. Damp tussock grassland and herbfield, rocky sites, stream banks

Features

Erect bronze-green, red-green or green herb up to 400 mm tall at flowering, arising from a stout, woody stock. Stock apex covered in long persistent, fibrous leaf remnants. Basal leaves up to 150 mm long, distinctly white-pilose, imparipinnate; lateral leaflets in up to 15 pairs, the lower minute but upper sometimes up to 15 mm long; terminal leaflet 10-70 mm long, crenate-dentate, serrate-crenate or occasionally obscurely lobed; cauline leaves few, often paired, oblong, toothed, sometimes very reduced, bracteate. Peduncle up to 400 mm tall, often arching in upper third. Inflorescence (1-)25(-30)-flowered. Flowers up to 10 mm diameter; calyx pubescent to pilose, lobes often deeply cut, 4-5 mm long, ovate, bracteoles minute, entire or bifurcate. Petals creamy white, 4-8-(10) mm long, ovate or obovate, claw margin often ciliate. Receptacle villous. Achenes numerous, flattened, stipitate, 1.5-1.8 mm long, densely pilose especially on margins, styles c.2.5 mm long, villous near achene, apex recurved.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from all but G. albiflorum by the many-flowered inflorescences (up to 30 flowers per inflorescence), and by the petals which are 4-15 mm long. Geum albiflorum is an allopatric sister species confined to the Auckland Islands, and differs from G. cockaynei by the smaller leaves, 3-5 flowered inflorescences, and by the styles which are shorter than the achenes.

Flowering

December – March

Flower Colours

Cream,White

Fruiting

December – April

Propagation Technique

Easily grown in pots in an alpine house, and in cooler climates within a rock garden. Best grown from fresh seed.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 70

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Pappate achenes are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 27 Sep 2014