The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Gentianella astonii subsp. arduana

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)
astonii: after Aston

Common Name(s)

Ward beach Gentian, chalk range Gentian

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Range Restricted

Qualifiers

2012 - RR, Sp

Authority

Gentianella astonii subsp. arduana Glenny et Molloy

Family

Gentianaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island. Marlborough, near Ward, Chalk Range, Mean Hill and In Canterbury at Whalesback Ridge

Habitat

Coastal to montane on limestone rocks. Often on steep bluffs, cliffs and cliff faces, ledges, crevices and rock joints. Also on limestone talus, colluvium and associated rendzina soils

Features

Tufted perennial up to 110 mm tall when flowering. Flowering stems, 3-26 per plant, green or purple-black. Rosette leaves absent. Leaves narrowly to very narrowly elliptic to obovate, 8.6-25 x 1.1-3.9 mm, purple at base, otherwise dark green, flat or slightly V-shaped, margins minutely toothed or smooth; apex rounded to acute. Pedicels (0-)3-18 mm long. Flowers 6-52 per plant, 10-20 mm long. Calyx 5.2-7.1 mm; lobes, green, 3.5-5.4 x 1.1-1.7 mm, plane or recurved, margins minutely toothed. Corolla 9.2-15.2 mm, white, with violet tinting on the outside and inside of the corolla lobe apices, tube 3.0-5.2 mm; lobes 6.2-10 x 3.9-6.7 mm, apices toothed. Nectaries 1.2-4.3 mm from corolla base, V-shaped with a pocket or flaps that are not fused at base, margins toothed to entire. Filaments 4-8.6 mm from corolla base. Anthers 1.1-2.0 mm, anther wall blue-black. Ovules 13-28 per ovary. Capsule 7.6-15 mm.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from G. astonii (Petrie) T.N.Ho et S.W.Liu subsp. astonii by the smaller leaves (8.6-25 cf. 16-32 mm in subsp. astonii), smaller anthers (1.1-2 cf. 1.7-2.5 mm in subsp. astonii), and 13-28 ovules per ovary cf. 27-30 ovules per ovary in subsp. astonii. From G. calcis Glenny et Molloy, G. astonii differs by the shorter leaves (9-32 cf. 30-83 in G. calcis), which are plane and without a recurved apex.

Flowering

March-June (-October)

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

April-November

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.

Threats

Most at risk in the lowland part of its range, where it is threatened by weeds and the potential for further limestone quarrying. Otherwise secure in the inland and more montane part of its range. Previously regarded (as Gentiana aff. astonii (d) (CHR 529114; Ward) and Gentiana aff. astonii (f) (CHR 279272; Chalk Range)) as Range Restricted in de Lange et al. (2004).

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 31 Jul 2014