The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Ranunculus simulans

Etymology

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

Common Name(s)

None Known

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Data Deficient

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 - Sp

Authority

Ranunculus simulans Garn.-Jones

Family

Ranunculaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Ranunculus depressus var. stewartiae G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson

Distribution

Endemic. North and South Islands. In the North Island known from Mt Taranaki, Kaimanawa and Ruahine Ranges. In the South Island recorded from north-west Nelson and Fiordland

Habitat

Lowland to alpine (0-1200 m a.s.l.), in damp seepages and pools within forest, along stream banks and in seepages and flushes in subalpine scrub and herbfield.

Features

Diminutive, tufted, rosette-forming perennial herb spreading by numerous, slender, trailing and arching stolons; these rooting freely at nodes. Basal leaves 3-10 mm diameter, dark green to bronze-green, suborbicular, shallowly 3-lobed at apex, lobe apices rounded, sometimes bluntly toothed again on lobes, base truncate, glabrous or finely hairy, membranous; cauline leaves similar but smaller, opposite or in lax whorls. Flowers solitary; scapes hairy and short, up to 15 mm long at fruiting. Flowers 3-5 mm diameter. Sepals spreading, sparsely hairy. Petals 0-5, yellow, narrowly obovate; nectary single, 0.5-1.5 mm from petal base, covered by a triangular scale. Receptacle hairy. Achenes 5-15, 1.4-1.9 mm long, dull medium buff to orange, light nut brown or grey brown, elliptic, broadly elliptic or broadly obovate; surface finely though regularly punctate, beak 0.1-0.3 mm long, hooked to dorsal side or reduced to remnant stub.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from all other New Zealand indigenous and naturalised Ranunculus spp., by the small size, slender, arching and/or trailing stolons which root freely at the nodes, and leaves 3-10 mm diameter, with the flowers 3-5 mm diameter. Morphologically it is perhaps closest to R. cheesemanii Kirk but that species has leaves 7-35 mm diameter with 3-5 blunt teeth or that are shallowly blunt with entire lobes, flowers 6-10mm diameter with fugaceous petals and achenes between 2-2.5 mm long.

Flowering

November - January

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

January - April

Propagation Technique

Unknown. Probably easily grown but likely to require pot culture to prevent it being over taken by taller plants and weeds within a garden environment.

Threats

Currently believed to be a very uncommon, widely distributed and biologically sparse species. It is very easily overlooked. There is as yet no clear evidence of any past or ongoing declines of this species within its known range.

Chromosome No.

2n = 32

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 30 Jan 2015