The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Pimelea notia

Etymology

Pimelea: from the Greek pimele, referring to the seeds

Common Name(s)

Pimelea

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

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 - Data Deficient

Authority

Pimela notia C.J.Burrows et Thorsen

Family

Thymelaeaceae

Brief Description

Very low growing sprawling shrub with hairy twigs bearing pairs of fleshy blue-green hairy-tipped fleshy leaves, hairy white flowers and orange fruit inhabiting Otago ranges. Leaves 3-5mm long by 2-2.5mm wide, often with a red edge, hairs at leaf tip sparse (lens needed).

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

None (first described in 2011)

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Central and South Otago, Southland)

Habitat

Lowland to alpine. Associated with open tall and short tussock grassland and herbfield. Also found along bog margins and in alpine areas within late snow-bed areas. In lowland sites it is associated with limestone outcrops.

Features

Small usually appressed shrub with mainly sympodial branching; short branches radiate from stout main stems. Young stems narrow, brown and sparsely hairy. Internodes 0.2-0.3 mm long. Old stems glabrous, grey to black. Node buttresses lunate to elongate, not very prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, clustered at ends of young branchlets, ascending, imbricate, becoming patent, sessile or with very short, red petioles (0.1 mm). Lamina 3.0-5.0 × 2.0-2.5 mm, medium green, sometimes with red margins, broad-elliptic to ovate, adaxially concave to slightly keeled, mid-vein evident; tip obtuse or acute with blunt tip; base cuneate; abaxial surface covered with sparse hairs near distal end (becoming glabrous when older); stomata on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Inflorescence terminal, 1-5-flowered. Involucral bracts 4, larger than adjacent leaves (5-3 mm). Receptacle sparsely hairy. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white, on very short (0.1 mm) pedicels, sparsely covered with short hairs outside; inside hairless. Female tube 3 mm, ovary portion 2.4 mm, calyx lobes 1.5 × 0.8mm; hermaphrodite tube 4 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 2.1 × 1.4 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary summit densely cobered with short hairs. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, orange, 5.0 × 3.5 mm. Seeds ovoid, 3.0 × 1.8 mm.

Similar Taxa

Differs from Pimelea oreophila subsp. lepta by its shorter stems, smaller flowers and mainly obtuse-tipped leaves with only sparse abaxial hairs. From P. prostrata subsp. prostrata it differs by having leaf hairs and orange fruits

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

January - May

Propagation Technique

Unknown. Probably easily grown from semi-hard and hardwood cuttings.

Threats

Burrows (2011) notes that the species is poorly known, in part because he suggests it has been much confused with Pimelea prostrata subsp. prostrata (which it is now known is very uncommon within the main range of Pimelea notia - Central Otago). Because of this confusion it is also suggested that, Pimelea notia is probably a fairly widespread and locally abundant species. Despite these comments the species was not assessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification Manual (Townsend et al. 2008) and so has no valid threat assessment. At this stage then it seems that based on the evidence presented by Burrows (2011) an interim threat assessment of "Data Deficient" is probably appropriate.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 27 Oct 2019