Corokia macrocarpa
Common name
hokataka, whakataka
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.
CORMCC
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, RR
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CD, IE
2004 | Range Restricted
Brief description
Tall shrub with pointed greyish leaves that are white underneath inhabiting the Chatham Islands. Leaves somewhat leathery, margin curved, 4-8cm long by 1.5-3.5cm wide, with white fuzz underneath. Flower yellow, star-shaped, with orange centre. Fruit orange.
Distribution
Endemic to the Chatham Islands and is found on Chatham, South East, Pitt and Mangere islands.
Habitat
Widespread from the coast to the highest points on the main islands, growing in a range of habitats including sand dunes, coastal headlands, rock outcrops (basalt, schist, limestone), lake margins and dense forest. Only absent from restiad bog, though it often grows on the fringes of these.
Features
Much branched shrub or tree up to 8 m tall. Bark firmly attached, charcol grey, rough. Branches and branchlets ascending, virgate, young branchlets puberulent, hairs whitish, patent. Leaves alternate, coriaceous, borne on firmly flexible, greyish petioles, up 10-15 mm long; lamina (30-)40-80 × 15-35 mm, obovate-cuneate to broad-oblanceolate to elliptic-oblong, apiculate, adaxially dark green surface initally invested in spare to moderate covering of whitish short white hairs, these shedding with age, abaxially, white to dense covering of short white hairs. Inflorescences (1-)4-5(-8)-flowered axillary racemes, raceme peduncle and pedicels densely invested in white, appressed hairs; peduncle 20-40 mm long, pedicels 5-6 mm long; flowers, stellate, yellow; calyces 5-segmented, sepals 3-5 mm long, ovate, ovate attenuate, surfaces densely covered in white appressed hairs; petals 5-6 mm long, lanceolate, lanceolate-oblong, acute, adaxially yellow, abaxially covered in appressed white hairs, widely spreading; stamens 5, antisepalous, filaments 2.0-2.5 mm long, yellow, anthers basifixed, 0.5-0.6 mm, oblong, creamy yellow; disc (0.6-)1.6-2.0 mm diameter, convex, dark yellow or orange, weakly partitioned into 5; style 5-6 yellow, stigma capitate, yellow, channelled to one site, surface rugose. Fruits 10-12 mm, globose, yellow, orange, occasionally dark orange-red, fleshy, flesh dryish.
Similar taxa
Corokia macrocarpa is a distinctive species that is unlikely to be confused with any other indigenous Chathams plant. However, when vegetative it could be confused with sterile shrubs of hakapiri (Olearia traversiorum). In this condition Corokia macrocarpa is easily distinguished from hakapiri by the leaves which are arranged alternatively up the branchlets rather than oppositely.
Flowering
November - April
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
Throughout year
Etymology
corokia: From the Maori name korokio or korokia-tarango
macrocarpa: Large fruit
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (25 April 2022). Description by P.J. de Lange (25 April 2022)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Corokia macrocarpa Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/corokia-macrocarpa/ (Date website was queried)