The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Pimelea sericeovillosa subsp. pulvinaris

Etymology

Pimelea: from the Greek pimele, referring to the seeds
pulvinaris: From the Latin pulvinar 'a cushion' and -aris 'resembling', meaning resembling a cushio i.e. convex or or rather flattened

Current Conservation Status

2018 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

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

2012 - At Risk - Declining
2009 - At Risk - Declining
2004 - Not Threatened

Qualifiers

2012 - DP
2009 - DP

Authority

Pimelea sericeovillosa subsp. pulvinaris (C.J.Burrows) C.J.Burrows

Family

Thymelaeaceae

Brief Description

Rounded low hairy cushions bearing hairy upward pointing leaves small hairy white flowers and yellow or orange fruit inhabiting inland Canterbury and Otago. 1-2 flowers per twig tip.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PIMSSP

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Pimelea pulvinaris C.J.Burrows

Distribution

Endemic. South Island: Mid Canterbury (Mackenzie Basin), south Canterbury and western central Otago. Formerly in the lower Waitaki valley near Kurow.

Habitat

Lowland to subalpine. In Valley and basin floors occupying dry, windswept places, usually with stony substrates and fine-textured, loess-derived matrix, within short vegetation cover. Often on moraine crests, as well as alluvial fans and river terraces.

Features

Low, compact, much-branched, pale green cushion-forming shrublet to 50 × 250 mm. with brown, tightly packed, appressed, leafy, densely villous young branchlets (older stems usually not visible but retaining dead leaves which cover branchlets inside the cushion). Internode length 0.3-0.6 mm. Branching mainly sympodial and radiating from a stout main stem up to 15 mm in diameter. Node buttresses lunate, dark brown, masked by hairs on young stems, not prominent on leafless branchlets. Leaves decussate, ascending, imbricate, sessile or with very short petioles (0.2 mm). Lamina medium to pale green, elliptic to oblong, 2.2-4.0 × 1.0-1.3 mm, adaxially concave, mid-vein not evident, abaxial surface densely covered with straight, white or greyish-white, moderately long hairs; adaxial surface moderately densely hairy, sometimes glabrate (the youngest leaves have more or less dense adaxial vesture), obtuse, base cuneate, stomata on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, with 1 or 2, sometimes 3, flowers. Involucral bracts 4, the same size as, or slightly wider than adjacent leaves (2.3 × 1.5 mm). Receptacle usually with abundant long hairs. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers 1(-2) per inflorescence, white, on very short (0.1 mm) pedicels, very hairy outside, inside hairless. Female tube 2.5 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 1.0-1.2 × 0.5 mm; hermaphrodite tube 3-4 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 1.5 × 0.8-1.0 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary with dense short hairs on summit, less dense to half way down. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, yellow or pale orange 2.5-3.0 × 1.8-2.0 mm, seeds narrow-ovoid 2.0-2.2 × 1.0-1.3 mm.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from the other P. sericeovillosa subspecies by its tight, cushion forming habit, pale green colour, restriction to valley and basin floor locations, and by being geographically confined to Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury and western Central Otago.

Flowering

September - January

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

December - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from semi-hardwood cuttings but difficult to maintain in cultivation. Prefers a moist free-draining soil, planted in full sun. Dislikes humidity, shade and poor drainage.

Threats

See comments about the "Conservation Status" opinions and their validity as offered by Burrows (2011) under the Fact Sheet for Pimelea sericeovillosa subsp. sericeovillosa. As P. pulvinaris this subspecies was listed as "Declining" by de Lange et al. (2009). This assessment is probably still appropriate but due to the recircumscription of P. sericeovillosa to comprise three subspecies this assessment may need to change.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 6 Jan 2014