Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Leathery bushy subalpine small tree. Leaves leathery, oval, dark green, fuzzy brown underneath. Twigs furry, grooved. Bark of loose thin flakes. Flowers a white furry body with a yellowish-orange tip in loose clusters at tips of twigs.
Flower colours
Yellow
Detailed description
Shrub up to 3 (-5) m tall. Branches grooved; branchlets, petioles and inflorescence-branchlets clad in pale buff to whitish woolly tomentum. Leaves 60-90 × 30-50 mm, on grooved petioles up to 50 mm long; coriaceous, obovate to lanceolate-oblong, obtuse; glabrous and shining above with evident veins, clad in buff to whitish silvery appressed tomentum below. Panicle sub-pyramidal to sub-racemose, up to 150 mm long; capitula campanulate to sub-cylindric, discoid, up to 10 mm diameter, on stout woolly-tomentose pedicels; phyllaries coriaceous, oblong, obtuse, densely woolly tomentose on back (usually tan to brownish-orange). Female flower 0-3, disk-florets numerous. Achenes 1-2 mm long, angled, oblong, rough-pubescent to nearly glabrous; pappus-hairs stiff, sordid-white, up to 5 mm long, barbellate, especially towards tips.
Similar taxa
Similar to B. buchananii, which has leaves that are a different shape (elliptic, narrowed towards apex and base); more open inflorescence panicle (laxly branched), which is usually larger (250 mm).
Distribution
Endemic. North, South and Stewart Islands. Widespread in the North Island mountains, including Mount Taranaki; in the South Island mostly found in mountainous areas north and west of the main divide.
Habitat
Upper montane forest and scrub.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Senecio elaeagnifolius Hook.f.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December-February
Fruiting
December-February
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
brachyglottis: Name comes from the Greek words brachus meaning “short” and glottis meaning “the vocal apparatus of the larynx”
elaeagnifolia: Eleagnus leaf
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.
BRAELA
Chromosome number
2n = 60
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 755.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961).
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.