The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Euchiton paludosus

Etymology

Euchiton: From the Greek eu (good) and chiton (tunic or covering)
paludosus: of the swamp

Current Conservation Status

2018 - Data Deficient

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 - Naturally Uncommon
2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - DP, Sp
2009 - DP

Authority

Euchiton paludosus (Petrie) Holub

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

EUCPAL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

Gnaphalium paludosum Petrie, Euchiton paludosus (Petrie) Anderb. (nom. illegit.)

Distribution

Endemic. North, South and Stewart Islands. In the North Island scarce from about the Kaingaroa Plain south. In the South Island local from Nelson to Southland. Local on Stewart Island

Habitat

Montane to subalpine mainly in bogs, or occasionally along stream and tarn margins, seepages and flushes within forest, shrubland, tussock grassland or herbfield.

Features

Stoloniferous perennial, forming diminutive, compact mats up to 80 mm diameter. Stems 1-2 ascending, simple 10-50 mm tall. Petioles rather short or absent. Leaves mainly basal; these 5-20 x 0.5-4 mm, elliptic to linear-elliptic or narrow-oblanceolate, obtuse to subacute, base often cuneate, attenuate; lower surface except mid-vein densely covered in white indumentum, upper surface usually glabrous and pleated, burnished bronze-green to dark green or purple green, sometimes sparsely tomentose, without pleats; cauline leaves scale-like, 1-3, ovate-triangular, amplexicaul, scarcely reducing toward apex. Capitula 1 mm diameter, solitary; subtending leaves absent; scape amongst leaves at flowering, filiform and exceeding leaves at fruiting. Involucral bracts elliptic-oblong, obtuse 3.8-4.5 mm, stereome green, tinged red-purple or maroon at apex; lamina pale brown, with a darker band at base; gap and margins tinged pale to deep red-purple. Achenes c.1 mm, covered with short antrorse hairs.

Similar Taxa

Closely allied to Euchiton polylepis from which it differs by the usually pleated leaves, fewer hermaphroditic florests [1-3(-5) cf. (2-)4-7], fewer, longer bracts and longer achene hairs. Ecologically both species differ with Euchiton polylepis favouring mainly stream sides, damp hollows in grassland, and damp sites at the base of cliffs or on and around rocks, and E. paludosus bogs.

Flowering

November - December

Fruiting

December - February

Propagation Technique

Easily grown in a partially submerged pot in a sunny or semi-shaded site.

Threats

A naturally uncommon, biologically sparse species that it very widely distributed but never common at any particular place. It may be threatened at some sites by weeds

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 22 Sep 2014