The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Convolvulus verecundus f. verecundus

Etymology

Convolvulus: From Latin convolvere, which means to twine around

Common Name(s)

Trailing bindweed, tussock bindweed

Current Conservation Status

2018 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

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

2012 - At Risk - Declining
2009 - At Risk - Declining
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - DP
2009 - DP

Authority

Convolvulus verecundus Allan f. verecundus

Family

Convolvulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CONVER

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Synonyms

Convolvulus verecundus Allan subsp. verecundus

Distribution

Endemic. Eastern South Island only from the Clarence River (probably now Historic) south to Central Otago. Probably now most abundant in the Mackenzie Basin and upper Waitaki River Valley.

Habitat

Mainly montane (rarely lowland) (c.200 - 1000 m a.s.l.) sparsely vegetated short tussock, or on rock outcrops such as limestone, within regions subjected to regular summer-dry conditions. It has also been found in semi-arid habitats dominated by introduced weeds.

Features

Low-growing perennial herb, with creeping rhizomatous stems, short ascending to spreading branches, and lianoid stems up to 200 mm; lianoid stems with a sparse to moderate covering of retrorse hairs. Leaves in rosettes and alternate on stems, 6.5–12.0 × 4.0–12.5 mm, deltoid, deltoid ovate to ± broad-oblong, grey, grey-green, to silver grey, moderately to densely hairy with hairs antrorse and appressed; veins obscure; margin with 4–6 pairs of teeth, undulate; base truncate, obtuse, occasionally oblique or slightly cordate; apex usually retuse, occasionally obtuse; petiole channelled, sparsely to moderately covered with retrorse and antrorse hairs. Pedicel 5–30(–55) mm long, 0.4–1.2 mm diam., moderately hairy. Sepals 3.9–4.1 × 3.5–3.8 mm, obovate to ovate, green; abaxial surface sparsely to moderately hairy, adaxial surface glabrous; margin fimbriate and translucent; apex subacute to obtuse. Corolla 12–19 mm long in bud, 20–25 mm wide when open, white, rarely pink, five lobes fused their full length, lobe apex fringed with hairs; tube 5–8 mm long, pale green; abaxial surface with midline of petal with pink bands with sparse appressed hairs on upper half. Nectary annular, 0.3–0.4 mm tall, yellow. Style 2-cleft, white; fused portion 6.0–9.0 mm long, c. 0.2 mm wide; stigmata 2.5–4.0 × c. 0.5 mm. Ovary c. 1.0 × 1.0–1.2 mm, cream. Filaments 4.0–4.6 mm long, c. 0.5 mm wide at base, tapering to c. 0.2 mm at apex, white; margin with scattered short hairs on lower half; fused to base of corolla tube. Anthers 1.7–2.0 mm long, white. Capsule 5.8–6.2 mm long, 4.5–7.5 mm wide, chartaceous, globose, with 2–4 seeds, lower half enclosed in persistent calyx, style base remnant persistent. Seeds segment-shaped and broader toward apex with a rounded dorsal and two flattened lateral faces meeting at an acute ventral edge, or rounded and broadly obovate without distinct angles, almost triangular to terete in section; 2.8–3.9 × 2.4–3.0 mm; apex and base rounded; hilum concave. Testa black-brown overlaid and ornamented with grey nut-brown, dull, glabrous, moderately covered in low ridges and tubercules, sometimes forming ridges on margins

Similar Taxa

Convolvulus waitaha and C. fracto-saxosa, from both of which it differs by its lianoid stems up to 200 mm long, more or less uniformly deltoid, deltoid-ovate to broad oblong leaves with smaller basal lobes, and which lack filiform or linear terminal lobes. Convolvulus verecundus f. glaberrimus differs by the glabrate brown-green rather than hairy silvery-grey leaves.

Flowering

November - January

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

December - March

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Easily grown from fresh seed which germinates readily but does not thrive in cultivation. It particularly resents humid conditions. Probably best in a well drained pot within an alpine house.

Threats

Threats are complex, and varied. It cannot be doubted that this species has declined from the Waitaki Valley as a consequence of hydrodevelopment of that river system. It may also have gone extinct in Marlborough, where it appears to have always been scarce. Recent field work and accounts from field workers indicate that this species exists in naturally sparse, widely scattered and mostly stable populations (Heenan et al. 2003).

Chromosome No.

2n = 22

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 5 Sep 2019