Dracophyllum elegantissimum
Common names
grass tree, slender dragon tree
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Single-stemmed, grass tree up to 14 m tall, branch terminals bearing tufts of long, narrow leaves with curled ends. Flowers pink, borne in terminal panicles, these often obscured by leaves
Flower colours
Red/Pink
Detailed description
Tree 5–14 m tall with a single stem. Branches form a closed candelabrum-shaped crown. Bark on old stems light brown and flaky, on branchlets glabrous and yellowish brown. Leaves crowded at tips of branches in a bromelioid manner, old leaves sometimes present; lamina sheath light brown, 22–58 x 13–43 mm, coriaceous, striate, margin not membranous, shoulder tapering with a smooth margin; lamina coriaceous, light to mid green, linear to linear-triangular, 330-1000 x 10-20 (–32) mm, glabrous, prominently striated; margin cartilaginous, serrulate with 15–24 teeth per 10 mm; apex acute and prominently curled. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, shorter than the leaves, erect, dense, 190–320 mm long, pyramidal, densely branched; rachis and pedicels tomentose; inflorescence axis light green, 10.6–14.0 mm diam. at base; basal inflorescence branch 38–42(–55) mm long, widely spreading (50–90°); inflorescence bracts caducous, longer than flower, coriaceous, light green, ovate-triangular at base, 270–610 x 30–45 mm, glabrous; margin entire; apex acute. Flowers 600–1000 or more, arranged in groups of >10 on the basal inflorescence branches; bracteole caducous, shorter than flower, linear 2.0–8.0 x 0.5–1.5 mm, glabrous; pedicel straight, green, 0.5–2.0 mm long, tomentose. Sepals green, broadly ovate, 1–2 x 1.0–1.5 mm, shorter than corolla tube, striate, glabrous; margin ciliate; apex subacute to obtuse. Corolla light to dark pink; corolla tube campanulate, widened at mouth, 1.0–2.0 x 1.3–2.0 mm, exterior glabrous; corolla lobes spreading horizontally to reflexed, ovate-triangular, shorter than corolla tube, 1.2–1.4 x 1.0–1.3 mm; glabrous, apex obtuse. Stamens inserted at top of corolla tube; filament 0.3–0.5 mm long; anthers exserted, rectangular, young anthers pink, deep yellow when mature, 0.9–1.3 mm long. Ovary globose, 1.0–1.5 x 1.3–1.5 mm; apex tapering and glabrous; nectary scales separate, rectangular, 0.6–1.0 x 0.5–1.0 mm, apices subacute to irregularly toothed; style exserted, 1.5–1.7 mm long, glabrous, lengthening in fruit; stigma clavate. Fruit not enclosed in persistent sepals, reddish brown, 1.2–1.5 x 1.5–1.8 mm, depressed-globose; apex round and glabrous. Seed yellowish brown, filiform, 0.7–0.8 mm long with a slightly reticulated testa.
Similar taxa
Allied to Dracophyllum traversii from which it differs by the longer, narrower leaves with curled apices; longer inflorescence bracts; sepals and corolla lobes that are shorter than the corolla tube; smaller nectary scales with toothed margins; and smaller ovary. From Dracophyllum latifolium it is distinguished by the longer inflorescence bracts; smaller corolla tube; corolla lobes that are shorter than the corolla tube; shorter filaments; narrower nectary scales and smaller ovary.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (westerly from Nelson to northern Westland)
Habitat
Lowland to upper montane (160-980 m a.s.l.). A species of forest communities overlying granidiorite, calcareous sandstone and conglomerate, or limestone. All the known populations occur on gentle to steep (5–45°) south-west to north-west-facing mountain slopes.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - February
Fruiting
February - March
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
dracophyllum: Dragon leaf, from its likeness to the dragon tree of the Canary Islands
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.
DRAELE
Previous conservation statuses
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 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
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
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (29 March 2008). Description adapted from Venter (2007)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Dracophyllum elegantissimum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/dracophyllum-elegantissimum/ (Date website was queried)