Species

Alseuosmia quercifolia

Etymology

Alseuosmia: perfume grove
quercifolia: oak leaved

Common Name(s)

oak-leaved toropapa, toropapa, karapapa

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

Alseuosmia quercifolia A.Cunn.

Family

Alseuosmiaceae

Brief Description

Shrub with glossy, variable lobed leaves (or sometime long and thin) that are pale beneath and on reddish twigs. Flowers pinkish, tubular, drooping, sweet-smelling, clustered at base of leaves. Fruit small, red, fleshy.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

ALSQUE

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 Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Alseuosmia ilex A.Cunn, A. xquercifolia A.Cunn.

Distribution

Endemic. North Island only, from Te Paki to near Awakino in the west, and in the east present to about Thames and the lower Hauraki Plains, with a few old records from East Cape.

Flower Colours

Cream,Red / Pink

Propagation Technique

Very easy from cuttings, slow growing but easy to maintain if kept in pots, but usualy tricky to plant out. Does best planted in partial shade in rich soil with a damp root run. However often prone to sudden collapse.

Threats

Not Threatened - but often uncommon and sparse in the southern part of its range

Chromosome No.

2n = 18

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Fleshy berries dispersed by fruigivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).

 

     

References and further reading

Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 2009 Vol. 11 No. 4 pp. 285-309

This page last updated on 10 May 2014