The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Raoulia beauverdii

Etymology

Raoulia: Named after Étienne Fiacre Louis Raoul (23 July 1815–30 March 1852) who was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. He published a book Choix de plantes de la Nouvelle-Zélande ("Selected plants of New Zealand") in 1846. The genus was named after him by Joseph Hooker.

Current Conservation Status

2018 - At Risk - Declining

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

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Sparse

Qualifiers

2012 - Sp
2009 - DP

Authority

Raoulia beauverdii Cockayne

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RAOBEA

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, easterly from Canterbury to Southland

Habitat

Coastal to montane (0-500 m a.s.l.) on sand dunes and inland in short tussock grassland, often on limestone talus or loess derived from calcareous rocks, and on or near limestone and schist rock outcrops.

Features

Silvery-grey (battleship grey) prostrate, creeping, perennial herb forming diffuse to dense mats up to 1 m diameter. Stems up to 0.5 mm diameter, filiform, dark brown, wiry and pliant, emitting numerous fine, long, filiform roots at leaf nodes. branches 5-20 (or more) mm long, weakly ascending to spreading, more or less silky-pilose hairy. Leaves openly to closely imbricating on stems and branches, rarely distant (usually on rapidly growing stems), 2-5 x 0.2-1 mm, uniformly silvery-grey to battle-ship grey, linear to linear-spathulate or spathulate, apex obtuse to rounded, both surfaces covered in fine, more or less appressed greyish indumentum, margins involute. Capitula 4-6 mm diameter, florets 10-15, pale cream, more or less funnelform; involucral bracts 3-4-seriate, outer shorter than inner, broadly-ovate, acuminate, inner linear-oblong, scarious, apices obtuse, often dark brown tipped. Cypsela 0.8-0.9 mm long, ribs indistinct with basal rim not thickened, buff brown to grey brown, obovate to obovate-elliptic. Pappus 3-3.2 mm long, caducous, very finely scabrid.

Similar Taxa

Previously included by Allan (1961, Fl.N.Z.Vol. I, p. 705) within Raoulia apicinigra Kirk (as R. hookeri var. apice-nigra (Kirk) Allan), R. beauverdii differs by its more open rather than compact turf forming growth habit and darker uniformly dark metallic silver (battleship grey) rather than white foliage and also cytologically. R. apicinigra has 2n = 28 chromosomes, R. beauverdii 2n = 56.

Flowering

October - December

Flower Colours

Cream

Fruiting

November - February

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from rooted pieces and fresh seed. Prefers a free draining, sunny situation. In humid climates it does not grow well.

Threats

A naturally uncommon sporadically occurring species

Chromosome No.

2n = 56

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 18 Jun 2015