The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Mazus novaezeelandiae subsp. impolitus f. hirtus

Etymology

Mazus: tear (after protuberance on throat of flower)
novaezeelandiae: of New Zealand
impolitus: unpolished, matt

Common Name(s)

dwarf musk, swamp musk

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Critical

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 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Critical

Qualifiers

2012 - Sp
2009 - Sp

Authority

Mazus novaezeelandiae subsp. impolitus f. hirtus Heenan

Family

Mazaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None.

Distribution

Endemic. North Island. Formerly recorded from nine sites from western Northland (Te Paki, Kaitaia south to the Hokianga Harbour), the Waikato (near Mercer) and in scattered sites near East Cape. It is now only known with certainty from three sites. One at Awanui near Kaitaia, at Hautai Beach, and Waipapa Stream near East Cape.

Habitat

Lowland swamp forest, and sparsely-vegetated coastal wetlands. Preferring sites free from tall, dense sedges and grasses, often in locations seasonally flooded with water or heavily browsed by cattle (so as to exclude taller vegetation).

Features

Perennial, creeping herb, forming compact leafy patches. Leaves 10-45 x 4-16 mm, dull, dark green or red-green, elliptic, narrow-elliptic, or narrow-obovate, thin, margin undulate, distinctly hairy, with a prominent brown marginal band. Inflorescences lateral on short branches, 2-8-flowered. Flowers initially pale lilac or lavender fading to white after anthesis. Peduncle 20-60 mm, pale green to brown-green, glabrous. Pedicel 4.5-40 mm, pale green to green. Calyx 3-5 mm, campanulate, green to brown-green, usually hairy, teeth 1.5-2.5 mm, narrow-triangular. Corolla 7-14.5 x 7.8-14 mm, prominently lobed. Tube 3-5 mm, lower lobes 2-6 x 3-5 mm, rounded, spreading or overlapping, middle lobe smaller than lateral lobes. Palate comprising 2 longitudinal ridged. Upper lobes 1-6.5 mm, narrow-triangular, apex subacute. Fruit 6-6.5 x 2.5-3.5 mm, ovoid, green, persistent. Seeds 0.4-0.8 x 0.4-0.5 mm, brown to purple-brown, surface reticulate.

Similar Taxa

Because of its flower colour and hairy leaves Mazus pumilio is similar but this species has blue or lilac flowers and a finely toothed leaf margin. This predominantly Australian species is known in New Zealand from only one site in Northland, but is now sold by many garden centres as M. novazeelandiae. It differs from M. novaezeelandiae subsp. novaezeelandiae, and subsp. impolitus by its consistently hairy leaf margins.

Flowering

October - May

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

January - July

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from division of whole plants. Fresh seed germinates easily. Does best when grown on a permanently damp or poorly drained soil in partial shade. It makes an excellent ground cover but is intolerant of competition from taller weeds such as grasses.

Threats

Very susceptible to disturbance, habitat clearance and modification including stock trampling. Although herbarium specimens indicate it was once widespread through northern New Zealand, at present it is known from just two locations, one near Kaitaia and one near East Cape. At both sites it is threatened by competition from taller, faster growing weeds. Only one site, that near Kaitaia, is protected, and here ironically it is now seriously threatened because the forest remnant in which it was found had to be fenced as a condition of its formal protection. Fencing excluded stock (which in the long term would have destroyed the forest), allowing taller, aggressive weeds to take over the open, damp ground in which swamp musk had been common.

Chromosome No.

2n = 38

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 16 Apr 2014