The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Epilobium pallidiflorum

Etymology

Epilobium: From the Greek epi- 'upon' and lobos 'a pod', the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.
pallidiflorum: From the Latin pallidus 'pale' and florus 'flower', meaning pale-flowered

Common Name(s)

tarawera, swamp 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 pallidiflorum A.Cunn.

Family

Onagraceae

Brief Description

Robust rhizomatous perennial herb 0.25–1.4 m tall, often well branched from the base and above,

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

EPIPAL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand: North, South and Chatham Islands. Also Australia (New South Wales, Vicoria, South Australia, Tasmania)

Habitat

Coastal to montane (but mostly coastal and lowland) in swamps and fens or along the banks of slow flowing streams, rivers, ponds, lake margins and around lagoons. Usually in relatively open sites growing amongst sedges (Carex spp.,) rushes (Juncus spp.) and especially raupo (Typha orientialis).

Features

forming leafy stolons from near the base that become evident in relatively open sites; plants strigulose, densely so in the inflorescence, the stems strigulose all round or rarely only on the elevated lines running down from the margins of the petioles. Leaves mostly opposite, alternate in and near the inflorescence, dark green, somewhat shining, minutely strigulose along the margins and veins, the lateral veins prominent, usually 4 on each side of the midrib, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, attenuate at the apex, attenuate to acute at the base 30–800 × 5–13 mm, serrulate, with usually 8-28 teeth on each side subsessile. Inflorescence gracefully nodding to one side. Flowers erect. Ovaries densely strigulose, 15–30mm long, on a pedicel 4 × 10 mm long. Floral tube 1.3–2.0 × 1.5–2.8 mm, bearing a conspicuous ring of long hairs within. Sepals keeled, 4.5–8.0 × 1.3–2.0mm, strigulose. Petals 7.5–14.0 × 5.0-10.0 mm, notch 1.0-2.8 mm, deep white, often flushed with pink after fertilisation. Anthers 1.2-1.5 × 0.6-0.8 mm, cream; filaments of longer stamens 3.0-6.5 mm long, those of shorter stamens 1.5-3.5 mm, white. Style, 4.5-9.15 mm long, white, usually with scattered long hairs near the base; stigma 2.5-4.4 × 1.0-1.8 mm, white, clavate, obscurely 4-lobed at the summit, surrounded by the anthers of the longer stamens or held well above them at anthesis. Capsule 45-95 mm long, on pedicel 10-20 mm long. Seeds 0.9-1.0 × 0.4-0.45 mm, brown, papillose, obovoid, coma 5-7 mm long, white or straw-coloured, detaching readily.

Similar Taxa

A distinctive species that is unlikely to be confused with any other indigenous or naturalised Epilobium present in New Zealand. Epilobium pallidiflorum is easily recognised by the tall, erect, well branched stems that may be up to 1.4 m tall; narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate leaves; a stem indumentum of even length glandular hairs; inflorescences with the buds nodding and when flowering with the white flowers mostly erect; shallowly 4-lobed stigma; conspicuously pedicellate capsules; possession of an ovary covered in appressed, strigillose eglandular hairs; and by the seeds which are 0.9-1.0 × 0.4-0.45 mm, and which lack a cellular rim, and are evenly papillose (but with papillae not in lines)

Flowering

November - May

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

December - June

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Does best when planted into a swamp or within a pot partially immersed in a pond. Although flowering plants are reasonably attractive Epilobium pallidiflorum is at best a plant for a specialist native plant grower because it is inclined to get weedy. Epilobium pallidiflorum is however, an excellent plant to establish within wetland restoration plantings where it is ideally suited to the conditions and will have room to spread.

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 16 Sep 2014