Pimelea notia
Common name
pimelea
Synonyms
None (first described in 2011)
Family
Thymelaeaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DP
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Very low growing sprawling shrub with hairy twigs bearing pairs of fleshy blue-green hairy-tipped fleshy leaves, hairy white flowers and orange fruit inhabiting Otago ranges. Leaves 3-5mm long by 2-2.5mm wide, often with a red edge, hairs at leaf tip sparse (lens needed).
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Central and South Otago, Southland)
Habitat
Lowland to alpine. Associated with open tall and short tussock grassland and herbfield. Also found along bog margins and in alpine areas within late snow-bed areas. In lowland sites it is associated with limestone outcrops.
Detailed description
Small usually appressed shrub with mainly sympodial branching; short branches radiate from stout main stems. Young stems narrow, brown and sparsely hairy. Internodes 0.2-0.3 mm long. Old stems glabrous, grey to black. Node buttresses lunate to elongate, not very prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, clustered at ends of young branchlets, ascending, imbricate, becoming patent, sessile or with very short, red petioles (0.1 mm). Lamina 3.0-5.0 × 2.0-2.5 mm, medium green, sometimes with red margins, broad-elliptic to ovate, adaxially concave to slightly keeled, mid-vein evident; tip obtuse or acute with blunt tip; base cuneate; abaxial surface covered with sparse hairs near distal end (becoming glabrous when older); stomata on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Inflorescence terminal, 1-5-flowered. Involucral bracts 4, larger than adjacent leaves (5-3 mm). Receptacle sparsely hairy. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white, on very short (0.1 mm) pedicels, sparsely covered with short hairs outside; inside hairless. Female tube 3 mm, ovary portion 2.4 mm, calyx lobes 1.5 × 0.8mm; hermaphrodite tube 4 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 2.1 × 1.4 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary summit densely cobered with short hairs. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, orange, 5.0 × 3.5 mm. Seeds ovoid, 3.0 × 1.8 mm.
Similar taxa
Differs from Pimelea oreophila subsp. lepta by its shorter stems, smaller flowers and mainly obtuse-tipped leaves with only sparse abaxial hairs. From P. prostrata subsp. prostrata it differs by having leaf hairs and orange fruits
Flowering
November - February
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
January - May
Propagation technique
Unknown. Probably easily grown from semi-hard and hardwood cuttings.
Threats
Burrows (2011) notes that the species is poorly known, in part because he suggests it has been much confused with Pimelea prostrata subsp. prostrata (which it is now known is very uncommon within the main range of Pimelea notia - Central Otago). Because of this confusion it is also suggested that, Pimelea notia is probably a fairly widespread and locally abundant species. Despite these comments the species was not assessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification Manual (Townsend et al. 2008) and so has no valid threat assessment. At this stage then it seems that based on the evidence presented by Burrows (2011) an interim threat assessment of “Data Deficient” is probably appropriate.
Etymology
pimelea: Pimeleoides means “resembling Pimelea’’, a genus in the family Thymelaeaceae (Greek, -oides = resembling, like).
Where to Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange (30 April 2011) adapted from Burrows (2011).
References and further reading
Burrows, C.J. 2011: Genus Pimelea (Thymelaeaceae) in New Zealand 4. The taxonomic treatment of ten endemic abaxially hairy-leaved species. New Zealand Journal of Botany 49: 41–106.
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61-96.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pimelea notia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pimelea-notia/ (Date website was queried)