Colletia paradoxa
Common name
Anchor plant
Synonyms
Colletia cruciata Gill.&Hook.
Family
Rhamnaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Brief description
A nearly leafless shrub that grows slowly to 2-3 m tall with oppositely-arranged flattened 50 mm wide triangular spine-tipped gray-green photosynthetic stems (cladodes) that resemble a ship’s anchor. Small creamy-white lightly-fragrant flowers at the stem joints bloom in late summer or fall. New growth has small leaves that are present only briefly.
Distribution
Seedlings found near planted garden specimen near Whanganui
Flower colours
Cream, White
Propagation technique
seed, cuttings
Year naturalised
2008
Origin
Uruguay, western Argentina and southern Brazil
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Etymology
colletia: The genus name honors French botanist Philibert Collet (1643-1718).
paradoxa: From Greek ‘paradoxos’ = unexpected, strange, marvellous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by C C Ogle, 9 Dec. 2014