The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Epilobium brevipes

Etymology

Epilobium: From the Greek epi- 'upon' and lobos 'a pod', the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.
brevipes: short foot

Common Name(s)

Willowherb

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

Authority

Epilobium brevipes Hook. f.

Family

Onagraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

EPIBRE

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, Marlborough (upper Awatere and Clarence Rivers and Kaikoura Ranges), north Canterbury (Waiau River, Hanmer) to Arthurs Pass and the Torlesse Range.

Habitat

Lowland to alpine (300-1200 m a.s.l.). Inhabiting the sides of steep rocky gorges and sparsely vegetated, cliff faces and rock outcrops

Features

Basally woody, perennial hebr formign densely branched reddish-green bushes up to 400 x 400 mm; stems often glossy, glabrous, or with a few strigulose hairs at junction of petiole margins. Petiole 3-9 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, opposite with the uppermost alternate, 13-26 x 4-8 mm, reddish green to red, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, apex acute with a blunt, globose, persistent apiculus, base acute; lamina surfaces glossy, lateral veins not evident when fresh (2-3 each side of midrib seen when dry); margins remotely serrulate bearing 4-10 teeth. Flowers erect. Pedicels 1-3 mm long. Ovaries 9-11 mm, glabrous. Floral tube 0.8-1.2 x 1.2-2.0 mm. Sepals 4.2-5.4 x 1.0-1.7 mm, not keeled, glabrous. Petals 6.7-7.4 x 3.8-4.6 mm, white flushing pink after anthesis, notch 1.7-2.0 mm deep. Anthers 0.6-0.8 x 0.4-0.6 mm, yellow; filaments of longer stamens 2.5-4 mm long, those of shorter 1.0-2.6 mm. Style 2.4-4.0 mm long, white; stigma 1.7-2.0 x 0.6-1.2 mm, white, clavate. Capsule 2.0-3.8 mm long, glabrous; pedicel elongating up to 10 mm at fruiting. Seeds 1.3-1.6 x 0.4-0.6 mm, brown, obovoid, smooth; coma 4 mm long, detaching readily.

Similar Taxa

Rather similar to E. petraeum Heenan, which is a glabrescent shrub of similar habitats. The leaf apices of E. petraeum have obtuse to retuse rather than acute apices, and lack the distinct apiculus typical of E. brevipes. Another major difference is that the stem leaf junction of E. petraeum lacks the minute tuft of strigulose hairs seen in E. brevipes.

Flowering

December-February

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

January - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed. An attractive rock garden and pot plant. However, like many epilobia it can potentially become invasive.

Threats

Although not regarded as threatened it has been suggested that the range of this species has contracted due to animal browse and through competition from weeds. Insufficient evidence is available to confirm this but should it be substantiated then this species may qualify as "At Risk. Declining".

Chromosome No.

2n = 36

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Minute pappate seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 14 Sep 2014