The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Myosotis monroi

Etymology

Myosotis: mouse-eared
monroi: Named after Sir David Monro who was a 19th century New Zealand politician

Common Name(s)

Monro's forget-me-not

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
2009 - OL

Authority

Myosotis monroi Cheeseman

Family

Boraginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

MYOMON

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. Red Hills (Wairau) and Mt Dun. An ultramafic endemic.

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine (> 1000 m a.s.l.). usually found in open stony ultramafic talus slopes, scree and in open wind ablated clay and loess pans within Chionochloa defracta Connor tussock grassland. Also frequently found on old mine tailings near the copper workings on Mt Dun.

Features

Tufted to compact, reddish-green to dark-green, perennial herb of open ultramafic rock and soil habitats. Petiole up to 40 mm long, narrow, rosette leaves 40 x 4 mm, dark green to red-green, spathulate, obtuse to retuse, apiculate; indumentum of copious to sparse short, straight, appressed, non-overlapping hairs above, similar, sparse, glabrescent to glabrous below. Lateral branches ascending to erect, 80-150 mm long, leafless below inflorescence, lower internodes < leaves. Cauline leaves 15 x 3 mm, narrowly elliptic, subacute, sessile to subsessile; upper surface with longer, softer hairs than seen on rosette-leaves, those on the margins longer, undersides clad in sparse short, stiff, hairs. Inflorescence cymose, cymes 10-20 mm long, usually bifid, ebracteate, (1-)5-20-flowered, internodes short, pedicels wanting. Calyx 5 mm long, cleft with lobes to almost half of length, these rather broad, subacute; hairs on lobes stiff, straight, appressed. Corolla 6 mm diameter, yellow, tube 5 mm, narrow, flaring slightly at mouth, scales at tube mouth narrow and raised, lobes 3 x 3 mm, narrowly ovate; filaments 8-12(or more) mm long, strongly exserted, and positioned well above corolla, anthers 1 mm, yellow; style 10-12 mm long, stigma capitate. Nutlets 2.3-2.5 x 1.1-1.3 mm, black, ovate, apex rounded; base rounded or truncate.

Similar Taxa

Morphologically close to the North Island endemic M. saxosa Hook.f. which is a species of calcareous not ultramafic substrates, with hoary grey-green rather than sparsely to densely hairy (not hoary) dark-green to red-green, spathulate rather than usually broadly-ovate to obovate leaves, and white rather than yellow flowers.

Flowering

November - April

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

February - June

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Best grown in a pot or in a sunny situation, planted within a magnesium enriched, free draining soil. Keep free from other competiting plants.

Threats

Not threatened. This species qualifies as Range Restricted because it is a narrow range, ultramafic endemic. It is locally common within its only known habitats which due to the substrate toxicity are largely, naturally free of weeds.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 17 Apr 2014