Species

Corokia macrocarpa

Etymology

Corokia: From the Maori name korokio or korokia-tarango
macrocarpa: large fruit

Common Name(s)

Hokataka, whakataka

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 - IE, RR
2009 - CD, IE

Authority

Corokia macrocarpa Kirk

Family

Argophyllaceae

Brief Description

Tall shrub with pointed greyish leaves that are white underneath inhabiting the Chatham Islands. Leaves somewhat leathery, margin curved, 4-8cm long by 1.5-3.5cm wide, with white fuzz underneath. Flower yellow, star-shaped, with orange centre. Fruit orange.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CORMCC

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Distribution

Endemic to the Chatham Islands and is found on Chatham, South East, Pitt and Mangere islands.

Habitat

This small tree or shrub occurs at sites near the sea, but can be found in a range of habitats, including open forest, cliffs, limestone outcrops and near lakes and lagoons, as well as rocky shores and beaches.

Features

A small tree that can grow up to 6 m tall and has dark brown bark. The leaves are leathery, slightly curled at the margins and may vary in size depending on the habitat. It produces yellow flowers from November to April, while the orange or yellow fruit can be seen throughout the year.

Flowering

November - April

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

Throughout year

Chromosome No.

2n = 18

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Fleshy drupes are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).

 

  

References and further reading

Moorfield, J. C. (2005). Te aka : Maori-English, English-Maori dictionary and index.  Pearson Longman:  Auckland, N.Z.

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309

This page last updated on 6 Dec 2014