Dracophyllum townsonii
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Erect spindly tree with tufts of grass-like curved leaves on long curved branches inhabiting Northwest Nelson. Leaves 130-300mm long by 4.5-12mm wide, young leaves pink. Flowers white, in clusters often hidden by leaves.
Detailed description
A shrub or small tree, 3–6 m tall. Branches form an open candelabrum–shaped crown. Bark on old branches greyish brown to light brown, flaky, young stems reddish brown. Leaves crowded at tips of branches in a bromelioid manner, spirally arranged on young stems, young leaves distinctly pink coloured; lamina sheath light green, 15–25 × 8–22 mm, coriaceous, striate, tapering, margins membranous with the top half ciliate; lamina linear–triangular, 130.0–300.0 × 4.5–12.0 mm, surfaces glabrous, prominently striated; margins cartilaginous, serrate with 28–50 teeth per 10 mm. Inflorescence an axillary panicle situated below the leaves; shorter than the leaves, curved and drooping, dense, 40–130 mm long, pyramidal and sparingly branched; rachis and pedicels hirsute, light green; inflorescence axis, 2.2–4.2 mm in diameter; basal inflorescence branch 10–24 mm long, suberect; inflorescence bracts caducous, over-topping flowers, whitish in lower half, ovate at base, 40–50 × 10–12 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate. Flowers hidden by leaves, 30–90, in groups of 5–10 at base of inflorescence, pedicellate; bracteoles persistent, both bracteoles longer than the perianth and situated in the middle of the pedicel, 2.5–7.0 × 0.3–1.0 mm, glabrous; pedicels 0.2–0.5 mm long, pubescent. Sepals green, broadly ovate, 2.5–4.0 × 1.7–2.5 mm, shorter than corolla tube, striate, surfaces glabrous; margins ciliate in upper half. Corolla red; corolla tube campanulate, widened at mouth, 2.0–2.5 × 2.3–2.5 mm; corolla lobes reflexed, oblong, shorter than or equalling corolla tube, 1.9–2.0 × 1.0–1.2 mm; glabrous; apices obtuse; surfaces glabrous. Stamens inserted in upper third of corolla tube, filaments 1–2 mm long; anthers exserted, rectangular, light yellow and 1.3–1.5 mm long. Ovary subglobose, 1.3–1.5 × 2.0–2.5 mm; glabrous, apex round; nectary scales rectangular, 0.4–0.5 × 0.8–1.0 mm, apex retuse to irregularly toothed; style exserted, 1.5–2.0 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate. Fruit light to reddish brown, 2–3 mm long and wide, depressed–globose, apex round and glabrous. Seeds light brown, ovoid, 1.1–1.3 mm long, testa slightly reticulate.
Similar taxa
Dracophyllum townsonii is distinguished from other allied species by the open candelabra–shaped crown, crowded leaves at the end of branches growing in a bromelioid manner, distinctly pink coloured young leaves, small panicle (40–130 mm long) always situated below the leaves, flowers arranged in groups of 5–10 on the basal inflorescence branches, inflorescence bracts broad and contracted into subulate apices, campanulate corolla, sepals being shorter than the corolla tube, sharply reflexed corolla lobes and the exserted anthers. Within its range Dracophyllum townsonii is similar to D. menziesii from which it differs by its small tree habit, open candelabra–shaped crown, flaky rather than smooth bark, much longer inflorescence (40–50 mm compared to 50–150 mm) and by the flowers which are arranged in groups of 5–10 not three on the basal inflorescence branches. In D. townsonii the bracteole is persistent and equals the flower in length (not shorter) while the corolla tube is shorter (2.0–2.5 mm compared to 6–7 mm) with the anthers exserted not included. The ovary of D. townsonii is subglobose not obovate, and the style is shorter than that of D. menziesii (1.5–2.0 mm compared to 2.5–3.5 mm). The seeds of D. townsonii are also longer than those of D. menziesii (1.1–1.3 mm compared to 0.55–0.6 mm).
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (North–West Nelson from Whanganui Inlet to Hokitika).
Habitat
Dracophyllum townsonii is a species inhabiting moist areas in montane forest and shrubland along ridge lines, slopes and drainage lines, at elevations ranging from 152–900 m. It is typically an understorey species but it occasionally colonises open areas such as around tree falls, on slip scars or along logging tracks.
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
December – March
Fruiting
February - June
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild. Don’t be tempted - take photographs instead! Dracophyllum townsonii is very occasionally stocked by specialist nurseries (take care though to check the soil surrounding the rootstock to see if the plants on offer have been dug from the wild, as plants dug from the wild often persist for a few months before dying), and if grown from seed such plants may occasionally thrive in cultivation. Does best in a semi-shaded site, planted in a humus enriched, moist (not water logged) soil.
Other information
Cultivation
Occasionally available from specialist native plant nurseries.
Etymology
dracophyllum: Dragon leaf, from its likeness to the dragon tree of the Canary Islands
townsonii: Honours William L. Townson (1855-1926)
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.
DRATOW
Chromosome number
2n = 26
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
Venter, S. 2009: A taxonomic revision of the genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae). Unpublished Phd Thesis, Victoria University of 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 (4 April 2012). Description adapted from Venter (2009)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Dracophyllum townsonii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/dracophyllum-townsonii/ (Date website was queried)