Carmichaelia crassicaulis subsp. crassicaulis
Past favourite plant finalist
Common names
coral broom
Synonyms
Corallospartium crassicaule (Hook.f.) J.B.Armstr.; Corallospartium crassicaule var. crassicaule (Hook.f.) J.B.Armstr.
Family
Fabaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
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.
CARCSC
Chromosome number
2n = 32
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 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: RF
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: RF
2009 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: RF
2004 | Gradual Decline
Simplified description
Rare robust shrub with erect leafless thick blunt-tipped grooved branches. Branches to 1cm in diameter, tip oval in cross section, grooves filled with white fuzz. Flowers small, pea-like, pale pink, streaked with purple. Fruit a small dry hairy pod with a long curved tip and containing 1-3 hard yellow seeds.
Distribution
South Island: east of the main divide.
Habitat
Upland and subalpine grassland, scrub and rock.
Detailed description
Rigid shrub up to 2m tall. Branches stout, erect, yellowish-green, deeply grooved with numerous parallel hair-lined grooves. Branchlets similar but somewhat flattened, up to 1cm or more diameter, new growth densely covered in white hairs. Juvenile leaves almost round, adult leaves oblong. Plants nearly leafless when mature. Flowers creamy coloured, 6mm long, up to 20 in a tight cluster. Flower stalks and sepals covered in thick, soft, white hair. Seed pods 6-7mm long, rounded, usually one-seeded.
Similar taxa
Other Carmichaelia species. C. crassicaule has stout, erect, grooved branches, compressed one-seeded pods and tight bundles of flowers with woolly sepals.
Flowering
December - January
Flower colours
Cream, Violet/Purple
Fruiting
March - May
Life cycle
Seeds are possibly dispersed by wind and granivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed. Can be grown with some difficulty from semi hardwood cuttings. Dislikes humidity and once established should not be moved.
Etymology
carmichaelia: After Carmichael, a botanist
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange 28 October 2009. Description based on 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.
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Wellington, Government Printer.
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 2009 Vol. 11 No. 4 pp. 285-309
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Carmichaelia crassicaulis subsp. crassicaulis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carmichaelia-crassicaulis-subsp-crassicaulis/ (Date website was queried)