Anemonastrum tenuicaule
Common names
New Zealand anemone
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Brown, Red/Pink
Detailed description
Perennial, rhizomatous herb (50-)150-500 mm tall. Rhizomes erect or creeping. Basal Petioles 20-150 mm long somewhat channeled, glabrescent, sparsely covered with appressed bristle-like hairs. Leaves 1-4(-6), 10-30 x 10-20 mm, 3-foliolate light green above, paler beneath, somewhat fleshy, leaflets cut to about half of length, into 3 entire or trifid segments, these sessile or shortly petiolate, sparsely bristly hairy above, cuneate at base, apex acute; subfloral leaves trifid, cuneate. Flowers solitary, nodding, 10-150 mm diameter. Peduncle 10-100-150 mm long, sparsely covered in appressed bristly hairs. Perianth segments 5-7, pink to red-brown, glabrous (upper surface minutely papillate). Achenes borne in erect heads, glabrous.
Similar taxa
None
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand, North and South Islands from the Tararua ranges south.
Habitat
Upper montane to subalpine habitats (c.900-1300 m a.s.l.) where it grows in herbfield and short to tall tussock grassland. usually in damp sites, flushes or seepages.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT
Threats
Anemonastrum tenuicaule is a biologically sparse species. In the northern part of its range it is extremely uncommon. However from about North Otago south it is more common, and in places it is can be locally abundant. Within its range it is mostly secure, occurring on public conservation land. It is possible that some lowland populations are threatened by competition from weeds.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Ranunculus tenuicaulis Cheeseman; Anemone tenuicaulis (Cheeseman) Parkin et Sledge; Anemonidium tenuicaule (Cheeseman) Christenh. et Byng
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - January
Fruiting
December - May
Life cycle and dispersal
Hooked achenes are dispersed by attaching to fur, feathers and clothing (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Other information
Etymology
anemonastrum: The meaning of the genus was not clearly specified by the naming author Josef Holub 1930-1999 (Holub 1973). The root is derived from ‘Anemone” - from the Greek ánemos ‘wind’. However, ‘astrum’ has multiple meanings. In one case it could mean ‘a star’ (Latin ‘astrum’ (from Ancient Greek ‘astron’, a more poetic variant of ‘aster’)) hence ‘star anemone’. In another meaning ‘astrum’ could refer to the close resemblance of the genus to Anemone or that it is a ‘little Anemone’. In this regard ‘astrum’ is a noun-suffix (genitive -astri) in the second declension, expressing an incomplete resemblance to, some likeness to, an inferiority, or even usage in a diminutive sense. Probably the second explanation is preferable, because Holub (1973: 158) commented “Therefore a new name, Anemonastrum is proposed here for the genus under consideration, which is very closely related from the etymological point of view to Anemone” Opinion from: Prof. Sergei L. Mosyakin
tenuicaule: Thin-stemmed
NVS code
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.
ANETNU
Chromosome number
2n = 28
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel 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, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NStr, Sp
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Wellington, Government Printer.
Holub, J. 1973: New names in Phanerogamae 2. Folia Geobotanica & Phytotaxonomica (Praha)
8(2): 155–179
Mosyakin, S.L.; de Lange, P.J. 2018: Anemonastrum tenuicaule and A. antucense (Ranunculaceae), new combinations for a New Zealand endemic species and its South American relative. PhytoKeys 99: 107-124.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11(4): 285-309
Webb CJ, Sykes WR, Garnock-Jones PJ 1988. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 12 February 2004. Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb et al. (1988). See also Mosyakin & de Lange (2018).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Anemonastrum tenuicaule Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/anemonastrum-tenuicaule/ (Date website was queried)