Species

Montia angustifolia

Etymology

Montia: Named after the Italian botanist, Giuseppe Monti (1682-1760);
angustifolia: narrow-leaved

Common Name(s)

None known

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 - Data Deficient

Qualifiers

2012 - DP, RR, Sp

Authority

Montia angustifolia Heenan

Family

Montiaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

MONANG

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Neopaxia lineariifolia Heenan; Previously all the New Zealand Neopaxia had been known as Neopaxia australasica (Hook.f.) O.Nilsson which is now regarded as an Australian endemic

Distribution

Endemic. Known only from the South Island, east of the main divide from Nelson to Southland.

Habitat

An inhabitant of the marginal turf communities of lake and tarns.

Features

Herb forming diffuse tufted patches or compact mats up to 40 cm diameter . Leaves at first brown to green-brown, maturing red-brown to orange-red, 30 × 1.8 mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, almost linear. Petiole indistinct, grading into leaf, apex subacute to obtuse. Flowers 8-12 mm diameter. tepals 4-6 × 2-3.5 mm, broadly elliptic to obovate, white flushed pink in bud and when mature, not overlapping, apex obtuse of shallowly notched. Nectary orange-yellow. Stamens with filaments 2-2.5 mm, about half tepal length, white, curved at tips. Anthers 0.8-1 × 0.6-0.7 mm, cream. Ovary 0.6-0.7 × 0.6-0.7 mm, obovoid, red-brown to red-green. Style 1-1.3 mm, flushed pink. Stigmatic branches 1.2 mm long, vivid pink. Capsule 2-2.2 × 2.2-2.3 mm. Seeds dark brown, 1.2-1.4 × 1.1-1.2 mm, slightly to moderately rugose.

Similar Taxa

A distinct species easily distinguished from the other New Zealand Neopaxia, by the uniformly narrow almost linear leaves, and by the seed size (0.8-1 mm diameter).

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

December to March

Propagation Technique

Easily grown in pots partially submerged in water and kept weed free. Plants can be grown by the division of whole plants and by seed.

Threats

Described in 1999. This species has very specific habitat requirements and although unlikely to be threatened it has a sporadic distribution. Many of the existing herbarium records are from collections made prior to 1980, and some of the habitats from where these collections came are now heavily modified or invaded by taller growing weed species.

Chromosome No.

2n = c.94

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 1 Jan 2014