The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Toronia toru

Common Name(s)

toru, toro, toto, mihimihi

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 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Toronia toru (A.Cunn.) L.A.S.Johnson et B.G.Briggs

Family

Proteaceae

Brief Description

Small bushy tree with long narrow leathery smooth edged-leaves that are yellowish when young and red when dying. Leaves 16-20cm long by 8-15mm wide, sharp tipped. Flowers yellowish or white, small, in clusters. Fruit dark purple, 12-18mm long.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

TORTOR

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Persoonia toru A.Cunn.

Distribution

Endemic. North Island from Te Paki south to the mouth of the Waihaha River, on the western side of Lake Taupo. However south of Auckland, toru is mostly found in the east from the Coromandel throughout the Bay of Plenty to about Atiamuri. In the western Waikato it is known locally from the northern end of the Aotea Harbour, near Kawhia (Rakaunui), Te Kauri and Whenuapo in the Taumatatotara Range

Habitat

Coastal to montane mostly on infertile soils, in open shrubland (especially gumland), early successional forest and along ridge lines and around slip scars in kauri (Agathis australis) and/or tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) dominated forest. It is locally abundant on silicic igneous rocks such as rhyolite, ignimbrite and pumice.

Features

Small dioecious (or gynodioecious) tree up to 12 m tall; trunk 1 or more arising from base, 0.2-0.3 m dbh; bark firm (not flaking), grey, grey-brown, brown or mottled grey, grey-brown. Branches usually numerous, initially upright, then spreading (sometimes decurved and/or pendulous); branchlets initially semi-terete (± compressed on one or more sides), maturing terete, minutely puberulous. Leaves alternate, semi-whorled, glabrous, ± fleshy and thickly coriaceous, bright green to yellow green (often mottled or spotted with red), glossy, midrib light green or yellow, raised, veins not evident, margins entire, thickened and often distinctly paler than rest of lamina; petioles stout, fleshy, 2-4 mm long, yellow-green or red. Lamina 160-250 mm × 8-15 mm, narrow linear-lanceolate, abruptly acute or apiculate, base attenuate (gradually narrowing to petiole). Inflorescences axillary, bracteate, 6-12(-20)-flowered racemes up to 60 mm long; rhacis and pedicels pubescent, indumentum ferruginous; bracts basal, minute, ± caducous. Flowers fragrant, tepals 5-9 mm long, linear-ovate to ovate, abaxially pubescent, indumentum ferruginous, adaxially yellow, margins undulate, ± pubescent; staminate flowers with 4 stamens, ovary rudimentary in some flowers possibly functional; pistillate flowers with 4 rudimentary stamen, ovary urceolate, subsessile, style short, stigma oblique. Drupe 1(-2)-seeded, 12-18 mm long, ellipsoid, exocarp succulent, flesh red; endocarp 9-14 mm long, elliptic (sometimes broadly elliptic or ovate) or assymetric, hard, surface reticulate and finely striate, semi-glossy, light brown to brown, retriculate.

Similar Taxa

Toro (Myrsine salicina) is superficially similar (as indicated by the Maori name). Toro is easily distinguished from Toronia. It has narrow-elliptic, narrow-oblong, to linear-oblong leaves with obtuse apices, rather than narrow linear-lanceolate, abruptly acute or apiculate leaves and flowers borne in dense fascicles rather than racemes. willow-leaved hakea (Hakea salicifolia) with which toru sometimes grows is vegetatively similar but has white flowers borne in fascicles and hard woody, beaked fruits.

Flowering

September - January

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

October - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown in a warm, sunny site. Once established toru is a very attractive small tree. As is typical of other members of the family it does best in infertile soils and should never have any phosphate containing fertilisers applied to it. Toru is said to be frost-sensitive.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 28

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 6 Dec 2014