The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Gentianella concinna

Etymology

Gentianella: Little Gentiana (named after Gentius, 6th century king of Illyria, who found the roots of the yellow gentian to have a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops)
concinna: charming, elegant

Common Name(s)

Auckland Island Gentian

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, OL
2009 - IE

Authority

Gentianella concinna (Hook.f.) T.N.Ho et S.W.Liu

Family

Gentianaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Gentiana concinna Hook.f., Gentiana cerina var. concinna (Hook.f.) Kirk, Chionogentias concinna (Hook.f.) L.G.Adams

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: Auckland Islands

Habitat

Coastal to alpine. In open turf land, tussock grasslands, forest and scrub and within on sedgeland developed along the summit fellfields

Features

Plants monocarpic, probably biennial, height in flower 27–150 mm. Caudex unbranched. Flowering stems erect, terminal only or terminal and lateral with 1–4 flowering stems per plant, stems 0.7–3.4 mm diameter when dry, lateral flowering stems erect, flowering stem leaves 2–4 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from halfway up flowering stem. Rosette of leaves distinct or not very distinct from flowering stem leaves; leaves narrowly elliptic, 15.0–32.0 mm × 3.7–8.0 mm wide, margin thickened, apex rounded, petiole indistinct, c. 10 mm long, 1.0–1.5(–2.5) mm wide at narrowest point. Pedicels 1 or 2 per leaf axil, 4.0–11.5 × 0.9–1.1 mm. Flowers 1–22 per plant, 10.5–12.0 mm long. Calyx 6.0–8.8 mm long; lobes 5.1–8.0 mm long, 2.0–2.3 mm wide at base, plane, apices acute or obtuse, margins minutely denticulate, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present, sinus hairs absent. Corolla 8.7–13.0 mm long, ranging from white to strongly coloured, with purple veins and/or with weak to strong red to purple tinting; tube 2.0–3.0 mm long; lobes 6.7–10.0 × 4.2–6.1 mm wide, hairs below sinus present or absent; nectary 1.2–1.5 mm from corolla base. Filaments 4.1–8.0 mm long from corolla base, 0.55–0.70 mm wide. Anthers 1.2–1.8 mm long. Stigma purple. Ovules 13–40 per ovary. Capsule 7.7–9.0 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Gentianella concinna differs from the only other species present on the Auckland Islands, G. cerina by its biennial growth habit; erect flowering stems; calyces that are 6.0–8.8 mm long, and calyx lobes that are not pandurate and which are rounded or acute at the apices, with the corolla longer than the calyx and with leaves which are 15.0–32.0 × 3.7–8.0 mm

Flowering

November – April

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

December - June

Propagation Technique

Difficult to grow. Should not be removed from the wild

Threats

A Naturally Uncommon, range-restricted, island endemic. Abundant on the islands it is under no obvious threat. The Auckland Islands are administered as a Nature Reserve and are part of a World Heritage Park with access strictly controlled by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)

This page last updated on 26 Sep 2014