The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Ranunculus maculatus

Etymology

Ranunculus: From the Latin 'rana' frog, meaning little frog and probably refers to the plants typical marshy habit where frogs abound
maculatus: From the Latin maculatus 'blotched'

Common Name(s)

None Known

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - RR

Authority

Ranunculus maculatus Cockayne et Allan

Family

Ranunculaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RANMCL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island from south western Canterbury to Otago and northern Southland

Habitat

Montane to alpine in turf on lake and tarn margins, in bogs, seepages amongst short tussock grasses and in alpine flushes and cushion bogs.

Features

Short, tufted, sparsely hairy to glabrate perennial up to 50 mm tall forming small solitary or multiple rosettes. Petioles of cauline leaves up to 16 mm long, sheath 14 x 3 mm, membranous, very hairy, petioles and sheath mottled purple-green or completely purple-black. Cauline leaves 9 x 10 mm, dark green flecked with dark brown, brown, purple-brown or black, broadly elliptic, obovate-cuneate, obovate or orbicular, deeply 3-lobed, sparsely hairy or glabrous (hairs if present concentrated toward lamina margins). Scape apparently sessile to subsessile at flowering, elongating to 50 mm or toward the apex where glabrous. Flowers solitary, 8-10 mm diameter; sepals 5, 3 x 2 mm, broad-ovate, sparsely hairy to glabrous spreading at maturity, fugaceous; petals 5, 5 x 2 mm, yellow, oblong-obovate to spathulate; nectary single, 1-1.5 mm from petal base, shallow, pocket-like. receptacle hairy. Achenes 15-25, 1.5-1.9 mm long, dull brown, often blotched dark purple-brown or completely dark purple-brown, elliptic, ovate-elliptic or obovate-elliptic; beak usually curled or hooked to dorsal side, sometimes straight, 0.2-0.5 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Belongs to a group of ranunculi where although the flowers are sessile to subsessile the peduncle greatly elongates after flowering. Of those species R. maculatus is perhaps closest to R. royi G.Simpson from which it differs by the 3-lobed, rather than 3-5-lobed leaves which are either glabrous or scattered with fine hairs particularly toward the lamina margins. In R. royi the leaves are densely and evenly covered in hairs, and while the lobes of R. maculatus are entire those of R. royi are always toothed or crenate. In R. maculatus the peduncles are always glabrous toward the extremities. Fruiting specimens of R. maculatus have 15-25 achenes rather than the 25-35 seen in R. royi.

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed but prone to powdery mildew in moist or humid climates.

Threats

Not Threatened. An apparently widespread, and at times locally common but generally biologically sparse species.

Chromosome No.

2n = 32

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 14 May 2014