Dracophyllum politum
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low-growing tight-packed hard cushion or sprawling small shrub with very small narrow glossy leaves covering the twigs inhabiting some mountain areas of the South Island. Leaves to 12mm long, pressed close to twig. Flowers small white, solitary at tip of hidden branches, but can cover surface of cushion.
Detailed description
Cushion–forming, up to 0.5 m tall and 1 m in diameter, or a scrambler 0.02–0.5 m tall. Branches spreading to prostrate, much–branched. Bark on old stems grey to brown, broadly fissured, young stems reddish brown. Leaves imbricate, appressed to stem, erect, olive to dark green, dry old leaves present. Leaf sheath 2.5–4.0 × 3.0–4.0 mm, shoulders tapering to round and margin membranous, ciliate. Lamina rigid and hard, 3.5–17.2 × 0.7–1.5 mm, linear, adaxial surface flat; surfaces glossy, margins serrulate with 90–100 teeth per 10 mm; apex obtuse or occasionally subacute. Inflorescence a sessile, solitary terminal flower; shorter than leaves, erect. Flower bract shorter than flower, foliose, 2.0–3.0 × 0.7–0.8 mm, broadly ovate to triangular, margins serrulate, apices obtuse. Sepals 4.8–5.0 × 1.8–2.0 mm, ovate–lanceolate, longer than corolla tube, adaxial surface with top half pubescent; abaxial surface glabrous; margins ciliate. Corolla white; corolla tube 3.5–4.5 × 1.4–1.5 mm cylindrical, widened at mouth; corolla lobes spreading horizontally to reflexed, 1.5–2.2 × 1.0–1.8 mm, ovate–triangular, shorter than corolla tube, apical ridge present, inflexed at apex, obtuse; adaxial surface papillate. Stamens inserted on corolla tube in upper third, filaments 0.5–1.0 mm long; anthers included, 0.9–1.0 mm long, oblong, light yellow. Ovary 1.2–1.8 × 1.2–1.3 mm, ovate, apex round; nectary scales 0.8–1.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, rectangular, apices irregularly toothed; style included, 1.0–1.1 mm long, glabrous, not lengthening in fruit; stigma five–lobed. Fruit 2.5–3.0 × 1.5–2.5 mm, dark brown, oblong and ridged at the ribs; apex round, glabrous. Seeds 0.68–0.7 mm long, dark brown, ovoid, testa prominently reticulate.
Similar taxa
Dracophyllum politum is a distinctive, dense cushion-forming plant or a prostrate shrublet with densely imbricated leaves appressed to the branch. The leaves are very glossy, convex, slightly curved inwards and with obtuse apices. The flowers are solitary and the flower bracts have blunt apices. The corolla lobes are distinctively inflexed and have a prominent apical ridges.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South (North-west Nelson (Mount Goul), North Westland (Denniston area) Fiordland National Park, Otago (Mount Maungatua)) and Stewart Islands
Habitat
Montane to alpine in fully exposed sites on gentle mountain slopes, especially on mountain summits and plateaus. A sparse to locally common component of subalpine to alpine shrubland, herbfield, fell field, grassland or bog.
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
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Dracophyllum rosmarinifolium var. politum Cheeseman
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - March
Fruiting
February - May
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
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.
DRAPOL
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
Otago: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NS, RR, TL
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 “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
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 (16 April 2012). Description adapted from Venter (2009)