Species

Phylloglossum drummondii

Current Conservation Status

2018 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered

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

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
2009 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered

Qualifiers

2012 - EF, SO
2009 - SO, EF

Authority

Phylloglossum drummondii Kunze

Family

Lycopodiaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PHYDRU

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

Lycophytes (clubmosses, selaginella, quillworts)

Synonyms

Lycopodium sanguisorba Spring

Distribution

Indigenous. Known from the North and South Islands. In the South Island it is only known from very old gatherings made from Marlborough and Banks Peninsula. It is now regarded as extinct at both locations. In the North Island it was once found from Te Paki south to the northern Waikato. It is now only known from scattered sites between the Surville Cliffs and Dargaville. Common in Australia.

Habitat

Coastal to lowland sites. Most often found on recently burned ground, often in gumland scrub, or overlying other similarly low, open vegetation such as that developed on clay pans and acidic soils. Also found on ultramafic soils, and heavily weathered and/or podzolised sandstones.

Features

Bright yellow to yellow–green, fleshy, tufted, seasonal plant arising from a small white to pale pink ovoid to ellipsoid tuber. Plants 15–50 mm tall. Tuber 3–4 mm long, ovoid, white usually subtended by a smaller developing daughter tuber. Stem 6–9 mm, erect, mostly subterranean. Roots 1–2, fleshy, white. Leaves tufted and clustered in a rosette, fleshy, erect or spreading, 4.0–30.0 × 0.5–1.2 mm, linear, acute, terete. The seasonally produced sterile blades first appear in July and may persist until late November. Fertile stem solitary; peduncle 10–50 mm tall, white, fleshy; strobilus erect, 4–10 mm; sporophylls 2–3 × 1–2 mm, ovate-triangular, acute to attenuate,. Sporangium attached to sporophyll base, 1.0–1.5 × 1.0–1.5 mm, reniform, at first pale yellow maturing cream.

Similar Taxa

None.

Flowering

The sterile blades appear in July and may persist until November (though they have usually dried off by late October)

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Fruiting

Fertile cones are produced one or two per tuft from about August to October.

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.

Threats

This species has declined markedly as a consequence of the conversion of its preferred gumland scrub habitat to farmland, or through the loss of these habitats as a consequence of natural succession. Plants have also been lost through over collection in some smaller, vulnerable populations.

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available.

 

Attribution

Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 November 2009). Description based on Chinnock (1998).

References and further reading

Bartlett, B. 1944. Eucamptodon and Phylloglossum drummondii. Auckland Botancal Society Journal, 1: 4-5

Braggins, J. 1974. Phylloglossum miniature denizen of the North. Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin, 38: 28-34

Chinnock, R.J. 1998: Lycopodiaceae. Pp. 66–85.Flora of Australia 48: Ferns, Gymnosperms and Allied Groups. Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO Australia.

 

 

This page last updated on 7 May 2014