The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Wahlenbergia akaroa

Etymology

Wahlenbergia: Named in honour of Wahlenberg, a Swedish botanist and author of A Botany of Lapland.
akaroa: From Akaroa, New Zealand

Common Name(s)

Akaroa harebell

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 - DP, OL

Authority

Wahlenbergia akaroa J.A.Petterson

Family

Campanulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. Banks Peninsula

Habitat

Coastal. Found mainly on steep cliffs where it grows in crevices, and also in associated shrubland, and rough pasture in places free from browsing animals.

Features

Radicate herb, stems branching from the base, somewhat fleshy and brittle, the upper 2/3 of the plant forming a many-flowered much branched multiple panicle. Leaves dark green, sessile, rather fleshy, oblong, obovate-spathulate, oblanceolate, lanceolate to linear, margins obscurely dentate to sharply serrate, more or less undulate, up to 40 × 15 mm. Flowers erect on slender pedicels 50-100 mm long, blue-violet, paler outside, sometimes white. Corolla 18-30 mm diameter, 10-15 mm long, subrotate, broad-petalled, tube saucer shaped, 1 × 5 to 1.5 × 6.0 mm, lobes curving up before spreading, broadly oblanceolate, acute, separate at base, touching or overlapping at widest point, 8 × 5 to 14 × 6 mm. Style thickened and blue at top. Calyx lobes glabrous, 2 × 1 to 4.0 × 1.5 mm, triangular, erect or spreading. Capsules glabrous, 5 × 3 to 6 × 4 mm, obconic with protruding valves. Seeds 0.5 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from the other radicate New Zealand Wahlenbergia Roth by the very large (20-35 mm diameter) pale blue-violet sub-rotate flowers. Aside from the chromosome number this species is indistinguishable from the Australia W. planiflora P.J.Sm.

Flowering

October - April

Flower Colours

Blue,Violet / Purple

Fruiting

November - April

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh seed. A beautiful plant that responds well to pot cultivation and is ideal for a sunny site in a rockery. Reasonably drought tolerant. prefers a free draining soil.

Threats

Accessible plants are at risk from browsing animals. Otherwise this species is abundant within its cliff habitat. It is only listed because it is a narrow range, naturally uncommon endemic.

Chromosome No.

2n = 72

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 17 Apr 2014