The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Ourisia remotifolia

Etymology

Ourisia: after Ouris, governor of the Falkland Islands
remotifolia: Remote foliage (referring to the leaves' distance from one another)

Common Name(s)

Mountain Foxglove

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, Sp

Authority

Ourisia remotifolia Arroyo

Family

Plantaginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

OURREM

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None (described in 1984)

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, Mt Cook National Park, Westland National Park and Fiordland National Park

Habitat

Alpine (1000-2200 m a.s.l.). Locally common in southerly or southwesterly facing talus slopes, bluffs, sheltered snow hollows; in rock crevices or on bare rock. Rarely in damp seepages within alpine herbfield.

Features

Perennial herb 39-102 mm tall with ascending to erect inflorescences and repent leaves; stems 2.0-3.5 mm diameter; internodes 2.1-13.3 mm long, glabrous or pilose, hairs long, eglandular. leaves opposite, sometimes tightly tufted near apex of stem (never rosulate); petiole 2.6-18.5 x 0.9-4.8 mm, pilose, glandular hairs isolated, long to very long, glandular hairs densely distributed toward margin, long to very long; lamina 6.9-24.0 x 6.9-20.3 mm, broadly to very broadly ovate, apex rounded, base cuneate, sometimes subtruncate, margin crenate, teeth mostly with hydathodes, upper surface pilose or villous, hairs mostly eglandular, long to very long, undersides glabrous or pilose, vestiture of mixed glandular and eglandular hairs, especially along prominent veins, often punctate. Inflorescence racemose, 42-108 mm long, bracteate, 1-6-flowered; peduncle 1.1-1.7 mm diameter, densely glandular pilose. Floral bracts 9.5-17.6 x 5.3-9.1 mm, reducing in size toward inflorescence apex, sessile, parallel to peduncle or slightly spreading, narrowly obovate, oblanceolate, margin crenate bearing 3-5 teeth in distal portion, glabrous or glandular/eglandular pilose. Flowers 12.2-16.7 x 11.0-14.7 mm; pedicel 6.7-21.0 mm long, densely glandular pilose. Calyx 5.7-7.7 x 4.3-8.0 mm, irregular, externally glandular/eglandular pilose or villous, internally glabrescent, margin snot ciliate; anterior calyx lobes 5.0-6.8 x 1.5-2.4 mm, posterior calyx lobes 1.2-4.2 x 1.2-2.2 mm, 3 posterior calyx lobes divided 1/4-1/2 of calyx length, 2 anterior lobes divided to near base, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, apex rounded or acute, mucronate or slightly emarginate, upper surface prominently 1-3-veined. Corolla 12.5-17.7 x 13.0-20.4 mm when flattened, bilabiate, tubular-funnelform, white, glabrous externally; tube 4.6-8.1 x 3.3-5.2 mm at apex, 2.5-3.7 mm wide at base, not constricted near base, curved or slightly curved, purple inside with 3 lings of hairs; anterior corolla lobes 5.6-9.2 x 4.3-6.9 mm, 2.0-3.7 mm wide at base. posterior corolla lobes 3.6-6.4 x 3.0-5.0 mm at widest point, 1.6-2.7 mm wide at base, spreading, obcordate or slightly obovate, apically emarginate. Stamens 4, didynamous, glabrous bases not expanded; 2 long stamens 4.2-7.0 mm long, reaching tube or exserted; two short stamens 3.2-5.8 mm long, included. Style 3.0-4.9 mm long, bent near base, exserted; stigma 0.3-1.0 mm diameter, emarginate; ovary 2.2-3.1 x 1.4-2.0 mm. glabrous. Capsules 3.9-6.5 x 3.3-6.2 mm, glabrous, with loculicidal dehiscence; fruiting pedicels 20.0-27.0 mm long. Seeds 0.7-1.1 x 0.3-0.6 mm.

Similar Taxa

Closest to O. sessiliflora Hook.f. from which it differs by the lax, semi-erect rather than erect habit, soft-textured leaves on long petioles which are widely spaced, rather than close set, tufted or in rosettes; and by the posterior calyx lobes divided 1/4-1/2 the length of the calyx rather than with all calyx lobes divided to the calyx base.

Flowering

December - January

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

January - April

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Not Threatened. Listed because it is considered to be a localised endemic.

Chromosome No.

2n = 48

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 3 Jan 2014