The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Colobanthus squarrosus subsp. drucei

Etymology

Colobanthus: mutilated flower wth no petals
drucei: after A.P. Druce, one of New Zealand's most respected field botanists

Common Name(s)

Colobanthus

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

Authority

Colobanthus squarrosus subsp. drucei Sneddon

Family

Caryophyllaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

COLSSD

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None (described in 1999)

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (north-west Nelson, known only from Garibaldi Ridge, Pike Peak, and the Matiri Range in Kahurangi National Park).

Habitat

Alpine. On limestone-marble rock outcrops, cliffs, and talus slopes, less commonly found on skeletal, stony soils in sparse grassland.

Features

Plant a compact multi-branched cushion up to 250 mm diameter and 50-75 mm high. Branches leafy for much of length with c.5-8 pairs of green leaves and numerous persistent, pale brown dead leaves below; internodes 0.1-10.5 mm long. Leaves rigid, spreading to ascending and ± imbricate; sheath 0.6-2.5 mm long; blade subulate, 3–11 mm long (including the translucent tip), 0.6-1.4 mm wide, with colourless borders c.0.1 mm wide, becoming ± channelled when dry, gradually narrowed into an acicular tip 0.5–1.9 mm long. Inflorescence a solitary flower on a bracteolate peduncle, lateral near branch apex. Flowers predominantly 5-merous, 3.5—5.5 mm diameter. Sepals 4-5, persistent, ovate, ovate-triangular or broadly ovate-triangular, 3.0–5.0 x 1.2—2.6 mm, predominantly pale green with translucent or whitish margins, margins ± membranous, keel not thickened, inconspicuous, apex usually acute and apiculate, apiculus 0.2–4.6 mm long. Petals 0. Stamens 4-5, 2.3–5.0 mm long; anthers pale yellow. Ovary ovoid, green at flowering; ovules 9-44; styles 4 or 5, 1–2 mm long. Peduncles ± hidden amongst leaves or shortly exserted at fruiting, 2.3–19.0 mm long, with 1-3 pairs of foliose bracteoles; bracteoles 3.0–7.5 mm long with a shortly apiculate to acicular tip 0.2–0.9 mm long . Capsule splitting to c.½, 4- or 5-valved, valves from 1 mm shorter to 1 .5 mm longer than sepals. Seeds brown, shiny, colliculate dorsally to ± smooth laterally, ± obliquely reniform, 0.5–0.85 × 0.4–0.7 mm.

Similar Taxa

Differs from C. squarrosus Cheeseman subsp. squarrosus in having greener flowers, with distinctly apiculate sepals, and included to only shortly exserted stamens, and styles 1–2 mm cf. 1.5-3.5 mm long

Flowering

November – January

Flower Colours

Green,White

Fruiting

January – March

Propagation Technique

Unknown in cultivation.

Threats

A Naturally Uncommon, Range-restricted, endemic of limestone/marble mountain ranges within Kahurangi National Park. There are no known threats.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 13 Oct 2013