Species

Geum leiospermum

Etymology

Geum: Possibly from the Greek geuo 'to give a pleasant flavour', the roots of some species being aromatic.

Common Name(s)

Geum, mountain avens

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 leiospermum Petrie

Family

Rosaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

GEULEI

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Oncostylus leiospermus (Petrie) F.Bolle

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North (Mt Egmont, Ruahine Range) South and Stewart Islands

Habitat

Montane to subalpine, in scrub, bogs, herbfield, tussock grassland, fell field, snowbanks, and streambanks.

Features

Erect herb up to 250 mm tall at flowering, arising from a slender stock. Basal leaves rosulate, up to 120 mm long, sparsely to densely clad in slender white-pilose hairs, pinnate; lateral leaflets in up to 10 pairs, reduced and often minute; terminal leaflet 10-25 mm long, serrate-dentate; cauline leaves few and bract-like, deeply toothed. Peduncle up to 250 mm tall. Scapes up to 250 mm long, simple to sparingly branched, (1-)2-4-flowered, distinctly pubescent, hairs in mixtures of short and long. Flowers 6-9 mm diameter. Petals (1-)5 mm long, white, suborbicular. Receptacle elongate, villous. Achenes numerous, c.2 mm long, narrow-oblong, glabrous, occasionally with a few hairs on shoulder; style minute, glabrous, recurved.

Similar Taxa

Reduced forms of Geum leiospermum, bearing only one flower are superficially similar to G. pusillum Petrie a species which usually has solitary flowers. From such plants G. leiospermum differs by the hairs of the peduncle which are intermixed (long/short) rather than uniformly short, and also by the lateral leaflets which are usually distinctly more reduced in relation to the terminal leaflet.

Flowering

November – February

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

January – 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

Hooked achenes dispersed by attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Where To Buy

Not Commercially Available

 

Attribution

Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb et al. (1988)

References and further reading

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309

Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. 4. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R.

This page last updated on 27 Sep 2014