Species

Raoulia rubra

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.
rubra: red

Common Name(s)

vegetable sheep

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 - RR

Authority

Raoulia rubra Buchanan

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RAORUB

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 - Composites

Synonyms

Psychrophyton rubrum Beauverd

Distribution

Endemic. North (Tararua Ranges) and South Island (North-west Nelson - Haupiri Range, Mt Arthur, North Westland - Paparoa Range)

Habitat

Subalpine to alpine - on rocky slopes, stable talus, cliff faces and rock ledges.

Features

Stock hard, woody; branches woody at base, densely compacted, forming cushions up to 250 mm diameter and 150 mm tall. Leaves 2.0-4.0 × 1.0-1•5 mm, obovate-spathulate, rounded to truncate at tips. Apical portion of leaf clad on both surfaces in long straight hairs exceeding lamina; lower portion glabrous on both surfaces, 1-nerved. Capitula c.3 mm diameter. Inner series of involucral bracts linear, obtuse, scarious on margins, tip white, short, radiating. Florets 10-15; corolla crimson to purplish. Achenes c.2.5 mm long, clad in long silky hairs; pappus-hairs c.2.5 mm long, rigid.

Flowering

November - January

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,Violet / Purple

Fruiting

January - April

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Not Threatened - A narrow range endemic common within its known geographic range

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

 

Attribution

Description adapted from Allan (1961).

References and further reading

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Government Printer, Wellington.

This page last updated on 17 Jan 2014