Species
Olearia adenocarpa
Etymology
Olearia: Derived from the latinised name (Olearius) of the 17th century German botanist Adam Oelenschlager
Common Name(s)
None known
Current Conservation Status
2012 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
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 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
Qualifiers
2012 - CD, De, RF
2009 - CD, De, RF
Authority
Olearia adenocarpa Heenan et Molloy
Family
Asteraceae
Brief Description
Rare shrub to 1.5m tall with many upright thin twigs arising from trailing branches and bearing clusters of oval dark green leaves that are bright white on the underside and inhabiting the Canterbury Plains. Flowers small, outer surface hairy (lens needed). Fruit dry, with mostly blob-tipped hairs (lens needed).
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs
Synonyms
None
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, Canterbury Plains. Known only from the vicinity of Christchurch.
Habitat
A lowland species of recently deposited alluvial gravels and sands.
Features
Openly branched, trailing deciduous to semi-deciduous shrub 1.2–1.5 m tall, up to 1.5 m diameter. Branches originating from near or below ground level, widely spreading usually spreading to decumbent, sometimes upright; sometimes rhizomatous. Leaves 3–14 × 2–4 mm, narrowly obovate to broadly obovate or oval, opposite or in fascicles on brachyblasts, upper surfaces light green, grey–green to brown–green with a silvery sheen, undersides uniformly silvery white, base attenuate to cuneate, apex obtuse with a small red to red-brown apiculus. Capitula 1–6 per brachyblast. Pedicels 1.2–4.0 mm long, densely covered with appressed hairs. Involucral bracts 18–22, 4–5-seriate, outer surfaces hairy. Florets 8–12, white. Achenes 2.0–2.5 mm long, light brown, sparsely to moderately covered in sessile glandular hairs.
Similar Taxa
Perhaps most closely allied to O. odorata Petrie from which it can be distinguished by its smaller size (<1.5 m), more open habit, slender trailing branches, Involucral bracts (scales surrounding the flowers) moderately hairy on the outer surfaces, and by the seed (achene) having mostly glandular hairs.
Flowering
January - February
Flower Colours
White
Fruiting
February - March
Propagation Technique
Easily grown from semi hardwood and hardwood cuttings and fresh seed.
Threats
Severely threatened by browsing animals and habitat loss. Fenced plants are vulnerable to overtopping by pasture grasses. Previously recorded as Olearia aff. odorata (CHR 386084; Canterbury Plains) in de Lange et al., 2004, Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Botany 42: 45-76.
Chromosome No.
2n = 108
Endemic Taxon
Yes
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Where To Buy
Can be purchased from Oratia Native Plant Nursery (info@oratianatives.co.nz).
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for the NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 14 April 2006. Description by P.B Heenan (adapted from Heenan & Molloy (2004) and subsequently published in de Lange et al. (2010).
References and further reading
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
Heenan, P.B.; Molloy, B. P. J. 2004: Taxonomy, ecology and conservation of Olearia adenocarpa (Asteraceae), a new species from braided riverbeds in Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(1): 21-36.
This page last updated on 7 May 2014