Species

Calystegia soldanella

Etymology

Calystegia: Name is derived from the Greek words kalyx 'cup', and stege 'a covering', meaning 'a covered cup', the calyx of some bindweeds being enclosed in two bracts.
soldanella: From Latin 'soldo' a type of coin, referring to the shape of the leaves

Common Name(s)

shore bindweed, shore Convolvulus, rauparaha

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

Calystegia soldanella (L.) R.Br.

Family

Convolvulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CALSOL

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 Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Synonyms

Convolvulus soldanella L.

Distribution

Indigenous. Kermadec, Three Kings, North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Indigenous to both Northern and Southern Hemisphere temperate regions.

Habitat

Coastal or inland along lake shorelines. Usually in sand or shell banks but also grows in fine gravel or pumice, talus slopes and on occasion in coastal turf or on cliff faces.

Features

Perennial herb with stout, white, deeply descending, fleshy roots and numerous prostrate branching stems forming dense patches. Stems glabrous. Petioles 80 mm or less, slender. Leaves (10-)50(-80) x (10-)50(-75) mm, reniform, fleshy, glossy, entire; sinus shallow and rounded; apex emarginate, obtuse or acute. Flowers solitary; peduncles ribbed, 100 mm long. Bracts ovate. cordate, obtuse 12-18 mm long. Sepals nearly = bracts, obtuse. Corolla 20-40 x 25-50 mm, campanulate, pink with white mid-petaline bands. Capsule 15-20 mm long, broad-ovoid, apiculate. Seeds dark brown, smooth.

Similar Taxa

None - the prostrate habit and reniform leaves clearly distinguish this species from all other indigenous and introduced Calystegia species. However, C. soldanella forms hybrids with C. tuguriorum, and these can be recognised by their weakly lianoid habit, puberulent, subsucculent stems and leaves, reniform to deltoid leaves, and pale pink subcampanulate flowers. C. soldanella is also suspected to hybridise with C. sepium subsp. roseata, and C. marginata.

Flowering

August-March

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

Present throughout the year

Propagation Technique

Easy from seed or rooted pieces. Once established very hard to eradicate! An attractive ground cover for a difficult, dry, sunny or exposed spot. For a bit of variety try growing it in bach lawns - its does not require mowing and is much more interesting than kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum Chiov.)

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 22

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Capsules are water and possibly also wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Cultural Use/Importance

The Maori gathered the thick, white, fleshy roots and pounded these to form a pulp, this was then used as a relish to flavour some meats.

     

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 1 November 2005. Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb et al. (1988), supplemented with observations made from fresh and dried material.

References and further reading

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

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 11: 285-309

Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons.Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R..

This page last updated on 4 Dec 2014