Species

Wahlenbergia ramosa

Etymology

Wahlenbergia: Named in honour of Wahlenberg, a Swedish botanist and author of A Botany of Lapland.
ramosa: branched

Common Name(s)

Coastal Harebell

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

Wahlenbergia ramosa G.Simpson

Family

Campanulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

WAHRAM

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

Wahlenbergia colensoi N.E.Br. pro. parte., Wahlenbergia gracilis sensu Allan nom. inv.,

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North and South Islands from East Cape and Taranaki south to the Marlborough Sounds. Most common on the shores of Cook Strait.

Habitat

Mostly coastal (rarely inland). On rocks, cliffs, grassy places and in open scrub

Features

Radicate, perennial herb. Stems 100-500 mm long, 1-2 mm thick, decumbent or ascending or stiffly erect. Mature leaves and bracts pale-green, alternate, sessile, variable, usually obovate-spathulate to oblanceolate on lower stem, grading to linear-lanceolate in upper stem, 8 × 2 to 30 × 10 mm; margins flat and distantly denticulate to strongly undulate, usually with scattered hairs on margins and lamina. Callus teeth 4-5 on each margin. Pedicels slender, 30-100 mm long. Flowers glabrous, 3-5-lobed, pastel lilac at anthesis, fading to off-white or pure white in different populations, 5-20 mm diameter, 4-9 mm long. Corolla rotate with shallow saucer-shaped tube, 1 × 3-4 mm; lobes spreading, 5 × 4 to 8 × 5 mm, broadly ovate, touching or overlapping in open flower. Style thickened at top, white. Calyx lobes glabrous, 1.5 × 1.0 to 3.0 × 1.5 mm, triangular; capsule glabrous 5-7 × 4 mm, ellipsoid to obconic, with protruding apical valves. Bud at anther dehiscence short and rounded. Self-fertile. Seeds 0.5 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Recognised by the preference for coastal habitats; alternate pale green leaves; pale-lilac flowers at anthesis, which open to off-white, or completely white flowers; rotate corolla with shallow saucer-shaped tube, and with the broadly ovate lobes overlapping in the open flower resulting in a compact appearance

Flowering

November - April

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

December - May

Propagation Technique

Seeds, tip cuttings, rootstock transplants. Easily grown in a well drained, sunny situation. Often freely naturalises in gardens and can become weedy.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 72

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not Commercially Available

Attribution

Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange 12 June 2007. Description adapted from Petterson (1997).

References and further reading

Petterson, J.A. 1997: Revision of the genus Wahlenbergia (Campanulaceae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botanv 35: 9-54.

This page last updated on 17 Apr 2014