Species

Raoulia mammillaris

Etymology

Raoulia: Named after Étienne Fiacre Louis Raoul (23 July 1815–30 March 1852) who was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. He published a book Choix de plantes de la Nouvelle-Zélande ("Selected plants of New Zealand") in 1846. The genus was named after him by Joseph Hooker.
mammillaris: teat bearing

Common Name(s)

Vegetable sheep

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

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 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Raoulia mammillaris Hook.f.

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RAOMAM

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 - Composites

Synonyms

Psychrophyton mammillare Beauverd

Distribution

Endemic. South Island - mostly east of the main divide and centred on Canterbury

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine. On rocks, talus and scree and sparsely vegetated fellfield.

Features

Stock stout, woody; branches densely compacted, woody at base, forming hard rounded cushions up to 500 mm diameter. Leaves densely imbricate, c. 3-4 × 1 mm, obovate-spathulate, rounded at apex; basal portion glabrous on ventral surface, clad in floccose hairs on dorsal surface below apex; apical portion clad on both surfaces in straight ascending hairs but little exceeding lamina-apex. Capitula up to 6.5 mm diameter, inner series of involucral bracts c.4 mm long, narrow-oblong, margins scarious; tips obtuse, white, radiating. Florets 10-12. Achenes up to 1.25 mm long, clad in long silky hairs; pappus-hairs c.3 mm long, rigid

Flowering

November - January

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available.


Attribution

Description adapted from Allan (1961)

References and further reading

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Government Printer, Wellington.

This page last updated on 17 Jan 2014