The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Canavalia rosea

Etymology

Canavalia: This is a latinized form of kanavali a Malabar vernacular and the name for this genus of climbing herbs.

Common Name(s)

Canavalia

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 - OL, SO
2009 - DC. SO, OL

Authority

Canavalia rosea DC.

Family

Fabaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CANROS

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Synonyms

Canavalia maritima Thouars, Canavalia obtusifolius (Lam.) DC.

Distribution

Indigenous. In New Zealand known only from the Kermadec Islands where it is not very common. Found throughout the warmer parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Habitat

In New Zealand found on boulder beaches and sand dunes on the Kermadec Islands. This is a common beach strand plant of the Pacific Islands, where it usually grows with Lepturus repens (G.Forst.) R.Br., Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (L.) Ooststr., and Vignea marina (Burm.) Merr.

Features

Perennial herb, procumbent and creeping or subscandent to lianoid. Stems up to 3 m, trailing, pubescent with appressed-pilose hairs when young. Leaflets 40-120 × 35-80 mm, dark green above, paler beneath, broad-obovate, broad elliptic, orbicular to obovate, apex rounded or emarginate, pilose-hairy when young, especially below, glabrescent. Inflorescences erect, racemose, few-flowered, peduncles stout, 50-300 mm long. Flowers clustered toward apex of rachis; pedicels 2-6 mm long. Calyx 8 mm long, upper lip 4 mm long, pilose. Petals dark pink; standard broadly elliptic-orbicular to orbicular, c.30 mm, rounded; wings and keel oblanceolate. Ovary silky-hairy; ovules c.7. Pods linear-oblong, initially dark green drying brownish-black, 70-140 × 25-30 mm, glabrescent, with a double rib dorsally and a single ventral rib. Seeds 15-20 mm, brown, often with dark markings, ellipsoid, somewhat flattened.

Similar Taxa

None in New Zealand. A distinctive strand species which cannot be confused with any other plant growing in a similar habitat within the New Zealand Botanical Region.

Flowering

Throughout the year

Flower Colours

Red / Pink

Fruiting

Throughout the year

Propagation Technique

Easy from fresh seed. However extremely cold sensitive. Various attempts to cultivate it in New Zealand have so far failed because plants die during the winter months.

Threats

Not threatened. However very uncommon reaching its world southern limit in the New Zealand Botanical Region. Because it occupies such a narrow geographic area it is listed as Range Restricted.

Chromosome No.

2n = 22

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds are dispersed by water (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 25 May 2014