Cardamine panatohea
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Perennial herb, single or several rosettes, with 1–10 short lateral branches, stems and branches 0.5–1.5 mm diameter. Leaves up to 45 mm long, pinnatisect; lamina 3.3–15.0 × 3.5–13.0 mm, green, semi-coriaceous, sparsely to moderately hairy or glabrate on adaxial surface, margin and petiole, glabrous or sparsely hairy on abaxial surface; terminal pinna 3.3–12.0 × 3.5–13.0 mm, simple, orbicular-reniform to reniform, apex obtuse with an inconspicuous hydathode, base usually cordate, sometimes obtuse or truncate. Lateral pinnae 0–4, 2.0–4.0 × 1.5–2.5 mm, orbicular to orbicular-rhomboid, petiolule absent or up to 1.2 mm long; petiole up to 30 mm long; hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long, spreading to patent. Cauline leaves similar to rosette leaves but distally smaller, narrower, with fewer lateral pinnae. Inflorescence with 1–4 racemes, each raceme 4–12-flowered, terminal flowers often in a cyme-like cluster; peduncle up to 140 mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm diam. at base, prostrate, decumbent to seldom upright, glabrous. Pedicels 1.5–8.0 mm long, 0.2–0.8 mm diam., glabrous or rarely hairy, spreading. Sepals 1.8–2.2 × 0.5–1.1 mm, elliptic-oblong to narrowly elliptic-oblong, ± saccate, green, glabrous; margin with a thin membranous white edge, apex obtuse; base truncate. Petals 4; 3.8–5.0 × 1.2–1.5 mm, white, limb obovate to broadly elliptic-obovate; apex obtuse; base cuneate, tapering to a c. 1 mm long claw. Stamens 6; median filaments 4, 2.4–2.7 mm long; lateral filaments 2, 2.1–2.2 mm long; anthers 0.3–0.4 mm long, cream to pale yellow, when dehiscent held at a similar height to or slightly below the stigma. Ovary 2.2–2.4 mm long, 0.3–0.4 mm diameter, ± terete, green, glabrous; ovules 18–24; style 0.1–0.2 mm long, ± terete; stigma 0.3–0.4 mm diam. Siliques 12.0–23.0 × 1.3–1.8 mm, glabrous, style 1.0–1.5 mm long; valves green at maturity and when dehiscent, replum 0.3–0.4 mm wide. Seeds 1.1–1.4 mm long, 0.9–1.0 mm wide, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, orbicular-oblong to broadly oblong, light green to brown-green; wing absent.
Similar taxa
Cardamine panatohea is distinguished from all other New Zealand indigenous Cardamine species by its sprawling, usually prostrate or decumbent inflorescences that have well-developed leafy rosettes in the axils of the lateral branches, and from C. corymbosa in its thicker leaves with scattered hairs on the adaxial surface and racemose inflorescence
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, Tongariro National Park, Mt Ruapehu
Habitat
Known from 1600-1700 m a.s.l., in two closely located but separate seepages and associated alpine flush vegetation. The two habitats occupied are completely water-saturated, with plants growing threaded through thick, floating bryophyte-dominated mats composed of mostly Breutelia pendula and Riccardia furtiva in sites that are partially sheltered by Hierochloe redolens and Chionochloa pallens subsp. pallens.
Threats
Known from two sites on the south-western flank of Mt Ruapehu, occupying an area of < 1 ha. The main population of 30‒38 plants is threatened by animal browse and loss of habitat through trampling. The second site, comprising a single patch growing within the spray zone of a waterfall, is extremely vulnerable to a stochastic event such as flooding, but less likely to be threatened by animal browse and trampling. Following the criteria of Townsend et al. (2008) the species has been assessed using the tag name Cardamine (p) (CHR 640349; Turoa) as ‘Threatened – Nationally Critical’ qualified ‘DP’ [Data Poor] by the New Zealand Indigenous Vascular Plant Threat Listing Panel (de Lange et al. 2018).
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None first described in 2018
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - February
Fruiting
December to April
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed but short-lived and difficult to maintain in cultivation.
Other information
Etymology
cardamine: From the Greek name kárdamon, referring to an Indian spice
panatohea: The Te Reo Maori epithet ‘panatohea’ originates from the names ‘panapana’, a generic name for this type of cress, and ‘titohea’ which is the description of the land above the bush line on Ruapehu. ‘titohea’ is usually translated to mean ‘barren’ but for Whanganui tribes it means a sacred area, usually desert or mountainous, where special species grow.
Previous 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.
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Heenan, P.B.; de Lange, P.J. 2018: Cardamine panatohea (Brassicaceae), a new, threatened, alpine species from New Zealand. Phytotaxa 379: 255–260
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (30 November 2019) based on Heenan & de Lange (2018)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Cardamine panatohea Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/cardamine-panatohea/ (Date website was queried)