Species
Pomaderris phylicifolia subsp. phylicifolia
Etymology
Pomaderris: lid skin
phylicifolia: after phylica, a South African shrub
Current Conservation Status
2018 - Threatened - Nationally Critical
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 Endangered
2009 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
Qualifiers
2012 - EF, SO
2009 - SO
Authority
Pomaderris phylicifolia Lodd.
Family
Rhamnaceae
Brief Description
Locally very common small shrub to 1.5m tall with hairy twigs bearing masses of small narrow wrinkled leaves and clusters of white flowers. Leaves 10-30mm long by 3-10mm wide, margins inrolled, underside fuzzy. Fruit dry, small.
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
POMPHY
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 Trees & Shrubs
Synonyms
Pomaderris polifolia Reiss. et F.Muell., P. phylicifolia var. polifolia (Reiss, et F.Muell.) L.B.Moore, Pomaderris ericifolia Hook.
Distribution
Indigenous. North Island. Historically known from Northland to the northern Waikato. Still present in Te Paki, near Te Kao and in scattered sites south to near Orewa. In Australia known from Victoria and southern New South Wales.
Habitat
Mainly coastal, nutrient poor, open sites amongst manuka and sedges, clay banks and roadsides. This plant is a naturally short-lived, early coloniser of slips and disturbed areas.
Features
Compactly much-branched, spreading shrub up to 1.5 × 2.0 m. Young stems, buds, and leaves usually densely invested in long, spreading greyish-white to white hairs, rarely ± or completely glabrous. Leaves 10–30 × 4–20 mm, dark green above, white to grey-green below, narrow-oblong, narrow-ovate, oblanceolate, to cymbiform, deeply grooved at midrib, margins entire, initially flat but becoming recurved at maturity (though not so as to obscure lower surface); upper surface weakly rugulose, initially with dense covering of bristly simple hairs becoming glabrescent or glabrous; undersides except for midrib and secondary veins densely tomentose, midrib and secondary veins ± visible, hairs on midribs simple, those between stellate. Inflorescences in short axillary cymes aggregated, forming narrow terminal panicles. Buds grey-green to brown-grey, ovoid; pedicels 2.5 mm long. Flowers pale yellow, 4–5 mm diameter; calyx-tube covered in fine indumentum through which is mixed numerous long straight hairs; sepals c. 2 mm long, not persistent in fruit; petals mostly absent, rarely present as petaloid staminal filaments; stamens 2 mm long; style divided almost to base. Capsule 4 mm long, immersed up to ⅓ of its length in calyx–tube; operculum covering most of the inner coccus face; seeds c. 2.2 × 1.6 mm, dark–brown, surface glossy.
Similar Taxa
Pomaderris amoena Colenso (which has usually been known in New Zealand as P. ericifolia Hook. P. phylicifolia var. ericifolia (Hook.) L.B.Moore, though that taxon has a different Australian type and is not found here), has a different chromosome number (2n = 36) to P. phylicifolia (2n = 48), and has leaves which are usually less than 10 mm long and recurved almost to the midrib.
Flowering
October to November.
Flower Colours
Yellow
Fruiting
November to January.
Propagation Technique
Can be grown from fresh seed, semi-hardwood cuttings and layered pieces but often difficult. Does best in nutrient poor, open, sunny situations without surrounding shrubs. An attractive shrub which should be more widely grown
Threats
Use of herbicides along roadsides and goat browsing are the main causes of decline. Also, habitat loss through succession, causing shading as a canopy develops.
Chromosome No.
2n = 48
Endemic Taxon
No
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Where To Buy
Can be purchased from Oratia Native Plant Nurseries ([email protected])
Notes on taxonomy
The Flora of New Zealand Vol. I records this species (as P. phylicifolia var. polifolia) from David Island [sic] in the Noisies group. That record is based on a specimen that was most probably collected from Spirits Bay, Northland, and accidentally mislabelled as to locality (P. J. de Lange pers. comm.). There are no species of Pomaderris present on the David Rocks.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 November 2009). Description by P.J. de Lange subsequently published in de Lange et al (2010).
References and further reading
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
This page last updated on 7 May 2014