Corokia buddleioides
Common name
korokio
Family
Argophyllaceae
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.
CORBUD
Chromosome number
2n = 18
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). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By 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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Shrub with narrow pointed glossy leaves that are white underneath inhabiting the northern North Island. Leaves somewhat leathery, 5-15cm long by 1-3cm wide, with white fuzz underneath. Flower yellow, arranged in a short spike. Fruit red or dark red.
Distribution
North Island. Northland south to outliers in New Plymouth and the volcanic plateau, not seen east of Bay of Plenty.
Habitat
Coastal to lowland forest and forest margins.
Features
Much-branched shrub up to 3 m or more tall. Branchlets slender, not divaricate; bark dark, rough. Leaves alternate, coriaceous, 50-150 x 10-30 mm, on stout petioles up to 10 mm long; lamina narrow- to rather broad-lanceolate, acuminate to acute. Panicles terminal and axillary, up to 50 mm long; flowers approximately 7-10 mm diameter. Calyx-segments ovate-oblong, obtuse, approximately 2-3 mm long; petals bright to pale yellow, approximately 5 mm long, ovate-lanceolate-oblong, subacute. Drupes bright to dark red to black, approximately 6-7 mm. long.
Similar taxa
Corokia buddleioides var. linearis the difference is the size of the linear-lanceolate leaf (45-80 mm x 4-6 mm), which is more narrow and shorter than this species.
Flowering
October-December
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
November-April
Life cycle
Fleshy drupes are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Etymology
corokia: From the Maori name korokio or korokia-tarango
buddleioides: Like a buddleia
TAXONOMIC NOTES
Where Corokia buddleioides and C. cotoneaster grow in company, complex hybrid swarms are often seen. Fruit may be produced, but the viability of the seeds has not been tested, though it seems certain that many wild plants of a hybrid population belong to the second filial generation. Carse (1912), when describing the mid-forms as C. Cheesemanii says: “This description applies to the type specimens, but the plant appears to pass by regular gradations into C. cotoneaster on the one hand, and into C. buddleioides on the other, with a tendency in one form to a broadening of the leaves bringing the species very close to the Chatham Island C. macrocarpa.”
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961).
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 441-442, 1023.
Carse, H. 1912. Corokia cheesemanii. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Vol 45. Page 376.
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: 285-309