Dracophyllum oliveri
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Erect grassy shrub with many erect twigs bearing long very narrow pointed leaves inhabiting the western South Island. Leaves 5-7.5cm long by 1.5-2mm wide, abruptly widening to a sheath that encloses the stem which has a finely hairy margin (lens needed). Flowers in small spike at tip of short branches.
Detailed description
Erect to spreading single–stemmed small tree, 1–4 m tall. Bark on old branches dark grey to dark brown, finely fissured, young stems reddish brown. Leaves dimorphic. Juvenile leaves spirally arranged, spreading to recurved; lamina sheath 6.0–9.0 × 3.0–3.5 mm, yellowish to light green; shoulders rounded to truncate and margin ciliate in upper half; lamina linear–triangular, 75–85 × 1.3–1.5 mm; surfaces glabrous, margins serrulate with 60–80 teeth per 10 mm. Adult leaves crowded at tips of branches, spreading; lamina sheath 3.5–9.0 × 3.0–5.0 mm, membranous; shoulders rounded to auricled, margin ciliate or only the top half ciliate; lamina 30–75 × 0.6–2.0 mm, linear to linear–triangular; margins serrulate with 50–100 teeth per 10 mm; apex triquetrous and acute. Inflorescence a terminal raceme on lateral branchlets, shorter than leaves, erect, drooping later, dense, 17–24 mm long, oblong; inflorescence bract over-topping flowers, 0.6–20.0 × 0.8–1.2 mm, ovate–lanceolate; margins serrulate. Flowers 5–10, pedicellate; flower bract over-topping flowers, 3.0–5.5 × 2.0–3.5 mm, broadly ovate, with a tuft of scabrid hairs at base of adaxial surface; margins ciliate; pedicels straight, 0.3–0.5 mm. Sepals 3.0–6.0 × 1.3–5.5 mm, ovate to triangular, equaling corolla tube, adaxial surface with the top half pubescent; margins ciliate. Corolla white turning light yellow with age; corolla tube 3.0–6.0 × 2.0–2.5 mm, funnelform; corolla lobes spreading horizontally to reflexed, 1.5–2.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, broadly triangular, shorter than corolla tube; apex inflexed, acute; adaxial surface papillate. Stamens inserted on corolla tube in upper third; filaments 0.5–0.7 mm long; anthers included, 0.6–0.8 mm long, oblong, light yellow. Ovary 1.4–1.5 × 1.3–1.5 mm, ovate, apex round; nectary scales rectangular, 1.0–1.3(–1.5) × 0.6–0.8 mm; apices retuse; style included, 1.3–1.7 mm long, glabrous; stigma five–lobed. Fruit 1.0–1.5 × 1.0–1.3 mm, obovoid, light to dark brown, apex round and glabrous. Seed 0.95–1.2 mm long, filiform, yellowish brown, with a slightly reticulated testa.
Similar taxa
Dracophyllum oliveri is recognised by the leaves which have 60–80 teeth per 10 mm on the lamina margin; by the clustered 5–10–flowered racemes borne on short lateral branches; by the 5–6 mm long sepals that are longer than the corolla tube and which have light coloured margins. Dracophyllum oliveri is most similar to D. filifolium from which it differs in the leaf, inflorescence and flower characters given above.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (mostly westerly though extending east into Southland in the southern part of its range)
Habitat
Dracophyllum oliveri is a species of open montane forest, woodland, shrubland or tussock grassland occurring on mountain slopes, gullies, plateaus and swampy depressions within an altitudinal range of 157–1,160 m. In the northern part of its range it is mostly found in dry wooded habitats but in the southern part of its range if virtually confined to bogs.
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
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November – March
Fruiting
January - June
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
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.
DRAOLI
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
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Data Deficient
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Venter, S. 2009: A taxonomic revision of the genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae). Unpublished Phd Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington.
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 (6 June 2012). Description adapted from Venter (2009).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Dracophyllum oliveri Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/dracophyllum-oliveri/ (Date website was queried)