The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Geum divergens

Etymology

Geum: Possibly from the Greek geuo 'to give a pleasant flavour', the roots of some species being aromatic.
divergens: From the Latin divergens, meaning divergent

Common Name(s)

Geum, Avens

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

Geum divergens Cheeseman

Family

Rosaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Oncostylus divergens (Cheeseman) F.Bolle

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island, Hanmer Range (Miromiro, Mt Captain, Mt Charon)

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine (c.1300-1600 m a.s.l.). Colonising sandstone rock (crevices, ledges, shattered rock surfaces), fine colluvium, and erosion pavement in subalpine forest, scrub and tussock grassland.

Features

Short, stout herb up to 180 mm tall at flowering. Rhizome stout, woody, and creeping, clothed with long persistent, fibrous leaf base remnants. Leaves rugose, adaxially initially dull light green fading to yellowish-red, abaxially paler. Basal leaves numerous, up to 60 mm long, imparipinnate; lateral leaflets 2-4(-6) pairs, minute, terminal leaflet conspicuous, 20-35 mm long, orbicular-reniform, indistinctly lobed, coarsely crenate-dentate; margins densely ciliate with long white hairs, and minute pink hydathodes; adaxial surface otherwise sparsely villous, abaxial glabrescent to glabrous. Scapes up to 180 mm tall, slender, densely pubescent, hairs in mixtures of short and long eglandular hairs; bracts 2-5, up to 20 mm long, lanceolate, toothed, incised, rarely pinnate. Flowers 1-3(-5), up to 35 mm diameter. Calyx-lobes ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, sometimes with minute bracteoles at the base, pubescent. Petals 12-15 mm long, white, obovate, obtuse. Disc green. Anthers yellow. Achenes pilose, gradually narrowed into a long glabrous, hooked style remnant.

Similar Taxa

Allied to Geum uniflorum Buchanan with which it shares a strongly rhizomatous growth habit and large flowers. From that species it is distinguished by its larger overall dimensions, densely compact, leafy rosettes; leaves which are rugose, pale green above fading to yellowish red with age; dentate-crenate leaf margins which are densely fringed with white hairs and minute pink hydathodes; pubescent petioles and peduncles with intermixed long unicellular eglandular hairs; and 1-5 white flowers up to 35 mm diameter, with a central green eye and yellow anthers.

Flowering

November - December

Flower Colours

Green,White

Fruiting

January - February

Propagation Technique

Easily grown in pots in an alpine house, and in cooler climates within a rock garden. Best grown from fresh seed.

Threats

Not Threatened - listed because it occupies a very small area within which it is very common.

Chromosome No.

2n = 70

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Pappate achenes are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 27 Sep 2014