The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum

Etymology

Dracophyllum: dragon leaf, from its likeness to the dragon tree of the Canary Islands
uniflorum: one flowered

Common Name(s)

sprawling inaka, sprawling turpentine scrub

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 - Sp
2009 - PD

Authority

Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum G.Simpson

Family

Ericaceae

Brief Description

Low-growing grassy shrub with branches that droop down slopes and tufts of narrow wavy leaves at tips of twigs. Leaves 18-34mm long by 0.5-1.5mm wide. Flowers white, tubular, 7-10mm long, solitary at the tips of short side branches.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

DRAUVF

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

None

Distribution

South Marlborough, central and eastern Otago.

Habitat

Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum is an land lowland to montane plant of rocky gorges and river sides and on cliff faces, especially in the schist country of eastern Otago where it can be locally abundant.

Features

Spreading to decumbent multi–stemmed shrub 0.50–1.0 m tall. Bark on old branches greyish to dark brown, finely fissured, young stems reddish brown. Leaves erect to spreading; lamina sheath, 3.5–7.5 × 2.0–5.0 mm, light green to olive green, margin membranous, shoulders rounded to auricled, ciliate or only the top half ciliate; lamina 18.0–58.0 × 0.5–2.0 mm, light green to olive green, linear, adaxial surface minutely rugose with a tuft of scabrid hairs at base, abaxial surface glabrous; margins serrulate with 60–80 teeth per 10 mm; apex triquetrous and keeled. Inflorescence a terminal, solitary, erect flower on lateral branches, shorter than leaves; flower bract over-topping the flower, foliose, coriaceous, 5.5–11.0 × 0.4–1.2 mm linear; adaxial surface scabrid, abaxial surface glabrous, margin serrulate. Sepals 4.5–9.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, lanceolate, equaling corolla tube, surfaces glabrous with the top half pubescent on adaxial surface; margins serrulate. Corolla white; corolla tube 5.5–7.0 × 1.5–4.0 mm, cylindrical, widened at mouth, exterior glabrous; corolla lobes reflexed, 1.4–1.5 × 1.0–1.2 mm, ovate–triangular to triangular, shorter than corolla tube, apices inflexed, acute; apical ridge prominent, adaxial surface papillate. Stamens inserted on corolla tube in upper third, filaments 0.3–1.2 mm long; anthers included, oblong, light yellow, 1.0–1.2 mm long. Ovary 2.5–4.5 × 1.2–2.5 mm, cylindrical, apex truncate; nectary scales 1.2–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, rectangular, apices subacute to retuse; style included, 2–4 mm long, glabrous; stigma five–lobed. Fruit sessile, 4.0–4.2 × 2.0–3.0 mm, light brown, broadly obovoid, apex truncate, glabrous. Seed 0.6–0.7 mm long, brown, ovoid, testa slightly reticulate.

Similar Taxa

Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum is distinguished by the lax, spreading growth habit (often with arching and/or pendulous branches); by the erect–spreading leaves that are 25–50 mm long with ciliate lamina sheaths and a prominent tuft of scabrid hairs at the base on the adaxial surface of the lamina; by the solitary flowers, and flower bracts which are longer than the flowers; by the corolla tube which is equal in length to the sepals; by the densely papillate corolla lobes and by the cylindrical ovary with truncate apex. Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum is most closely allied to D. rosmarinifolium (which was once known as D. uniflorum var. uniflorum) with which it sometimes grows and from which it differs in the lax habit and scrambling stems. The flower bract is also longer than the flower and narrower (0.5-1.0 mm compared to 1.0-2.0 mm in D. rosmarinifolium) with the adaxial surface scabrid. The sepal in Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum equals the corolla tube and the adaxial surface texture of the sepal is pubescent in the top half and it is also longer (7-10 mm) and wider (2.0-3.0 mm compared to 1.2-2.5 mm in D. rosmarinifolium) than the corolla tube; the corolla lobes are shorter (1.4-1.5 mm compared to 2.0-2.5 mm in D. rosmarinifolium), with longer (1.0-1.2 mm compared to 0.3-0.5 mm in D. rosmarinifolium) filaments. Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum also has a longer (2.5-4.5 mm) cylindrical ovary with a truncate apex and a longer (3-4 mm) style.

Flowering

December – February

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

March - August

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Nelson lakes Area, eastern Otago).

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 31 Oct 2013