Species

Callitriche aucklandica

Etymology

Callitriche: From the Greek kalli 'beautiful' and thrix 'hair', referring to the beautiful stems
aucklandica: of the Auckland Islands

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 - Range Restricted

Qualifiers

2012 - IE, RR, Sp
2009 - IE

Authority

Callitriche aucklandica R.Mason

Family

Plantaginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CALAUC

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 Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. Auckland Islands only

Habitat

Coastal to montane on exposed, in pools and on sodden peat, in heavy shade under shrubs and tussocks. Often near bird colonies but also common on exposed mud within forest and scrub.

Features

Perennial, creeping bright green to dark green fleshy to membranous herb. Stems rather lax, sparwling up to 300 mm long. Leaves on broad, membranous fused petioles; lamina fleshy, 3.6-8 x 1.2-4 mm, dark green to bright green, spathulate. Flowers solitary or in pairs, ebracteate. Filaments to 9 mm long, tapering from broad base. Mericarps more or less elliptic, obovate-elliptic or obovate, laterally compressed, 1.0-1.6 mm long; surface colliculate or reticulate, dull, pale ornage-yellow, medium to light brown or grey brown.

Similar Taxa

Closest to C. antarctica Hegelm from which it differs by its larger size, fleshy rather than succulent leaves, lax rather than erect branches, broad, connate petioles smaller leaves (3.6-8 x 1.2-4 cf. 2.5-10 x 1.5-4.8 mm), and keeled and winged rather than rounded mericarps.

Flowering

October - November

Fruiting

November - April

Propagation Technique

Probably easy. However it is currently not in cultivation.

Threats

Not Threatened. Listed because it is endemic to the Auckland Islands. On these islands it is abundant.

Chromosome No.

2n = 40

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Mericarps possibly by water and attachment (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 25 May 2014