The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Myosotis saxosa

Etymology

Myosotis: mouse-eared
saxosa: rock dweller

Common Name(s)

None known

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 Endangered
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - OL, St
2009 - OL, St

Authority

Myosotis saxosa Hook.f.

Family

Boraginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

MYOSAX

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Exarrhena saxosa Hook.f., Myosotis amabilis Cheeseman

Distribution

Endemic. North Island, Raukumara Range (Mt Hikurangi, Arowhana), Te Urewera National Park (Maungapohatu, Manuoha, Panekiri Bluff), and Hawke's Bay (Maungahararu Range, Titiokura)

Habitat

Upper montane to alpine (> 1000 m a.s.l.) usually on limestone or similar calcareous substrates. Growing on rock ledges, in crevices and on talus, usually in relatively open habitats largely free clear or other vegetation.

Features

Compact to moderately compact, rosette forming, hoary, grey-green to green perennial herb. Rosette leaves numerous, often strongly overlapping; petiole 20-30 mm long, narrow, sheathing at base, lamina 20-30 x 5-10 mm, dark green to grey-green (due to hair covering), broadly ovate to obovate, apex apiculate, usually down turned (thus appearing emarginate); hairs copious, long, fine and silky, spreading, on undersides similar but more compact and more firmly appressed, sparse sometimes in antrorse/retrorse mixtures or regularly retrorse. Laterla branches ascending to erect up to 70 mm long, leafless below inflorescence, lower internodes < leaves. Cauline leaves 15 x 5 mm, elliptic, subacute to acute, sessile; hairs appressed, more delicate than those on rosette-leaves. Inflorescence cymose, 20 mm long, simple, ebracteate, up to 12-flowered; internodes < calyx; pedicels 2 mm long. Calyx 5-6 mm, lobes > 1/2 calyx length, oblong, subacute; hairs long, harsh to soft antrorse, with smaller, finer, more appressed often retrorse hairs forming a secondary layer below, flexuous, not hooked. Corolla 7-13 mm diameter, white, tube 3-5 mm long, cylindric to scale level, scales, vertical, elongate, confiend to mouth; tube flaring into a wide funneliform corolla with lobes 3 x 3.5 mm, filaments fixed between scales, reaching to lobes, anthers 1.5 mm; styles 5-8 mm long, stigma capitate. Nutlets 2.2. x 1.3 mm, black.

Similar Taxa

Close to M. monroi Cheeseman which is an ultramafic endemic with yellow not white flowers confined to the Red Hills (north of the Wairau) and Mt Dun area of the South Island. NZPCN follow many other New Zealand botanists by including M. amabilis Cheeseman within M. saxosa, M. amabilis differs mainly by the more silky hairy rather than harsh hairy leaves which are said to be consistently rather than never aligned in a retrorse pattern on the undersides of the rosette leaves and calyx bases. However intermediates occur, even at the type locality of M. saxosa (Titiokura).

Flowering

November - January

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

November - March

Propagation Technique

One of the few New Zealand Myosotis species that can be easily cultivated at low altitudes. However, plants often fail to flower, and dislike high humidity and excess moisture (soon succumbing to powdery mildew and various rusts under such conditions). An excellent pot plant, which should be grown in a free draining, high fertility soil, placed in the full sun.

Threats

A very localised, sparsely distributed species which appears to be secure at its few known locations, partly because they are mostly high altitude habitats largely free of weeds.

Chromosome No.

2n = 44

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 28 Mar 2015