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  4. Epilobium tasmanicum

Epilobium tasmanicum

Rock & Pillar range, January.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Hector Mountains.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common name

willowherb

Family

Onagraceae

Authority

Epilobium tasmanicum Hausskn.

Flora category

Vascular – Native

Endemic taxon

No

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Structural class

Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites

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.

EPITAS

Chromosome number

2n = 36

Current conservation status

  • Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017

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 | Not Threatened

Previous conservation statuses

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Distribution

Indigenous: New Zealand: South Island (from Nelson to Southland). Australia (New South Wales and Tasmania)

Habitat

Alpine in moist places in fellfield, herbfield at the bases of cliff faces or in the shelter of rocks. Also inhabiting fine-grained scree, often in the vicinity of areas of snow-melt or glacial cirques.

Features

Perennial, matted, creeping alpine herb, stems rooting at nodes, much interwoven, or with erect reddish stems up to 150 mm tall; stems glabrous or with lines of fine strigulose hairs decurrent from the margins of the petioles. Leaves mostly opposite, alternate in the inflorescence, longer than the internodes they subtend, glossy, the lateral veins barely visible, 1-3 on each side of the midrib; petiole 1-2 mm long, usually appressed to main stem; lamina 6-20 × 2-55 mm, bright green, narrowly elliptic or elliptic, base attenuate, apex acute to subentire, margins serrulate, with 3-5 teeth on each side, or subentire. Inflorescence nodding in erect forms, the flowers scattered well down the stem. Flowers erect. Ovaries 9-12 mm long, glabrous, pedicels 1.5-5.0 mm. Floral tube 0.5-1.1 × 1.2-2.2 mm, glabrous. Sepals 1.7-3.5 × 0.9-1.4 mm. not keeled, glabrous, often reddish-margined. Petals 3.3-5.0 × 1.5-3.6 mm, the notch 0.5-1.1 mm deep. white. Stamen filaments white of two types: long (1.0-2.5 mm long) and short (0.5-1.8 mm long). Anthers 0.4-0.45 × 0.3-0.4 mm, yellow. Style 1.0-1.6 mm long, white; stigma 0.9-2.2 x 0.5-0.7 mm, white, clavate. Capsule 8-22 mm long, bright-green, ± succulent, glabrous, on a pedicel 2-40 mm long. Seeds 0.9-1.2 mm long, orange to orange-brown, obovate, apex rounded, base subacute, finely papillate; coma 3-5 mm long, white, caducous.

Similar taxa

Epilobium tasmanicum is distinguished from other New Zealand epilobia by the restriction to the South Island where it inhabits alpine areas only; bright green, narrowly elliptic or elliptic Leaves that are 6-20 × 2-55 mm with 3-5 teeth on each side; by the nodding inflorescence; flowers with sepals 1.7-3.5 × 0.9-1.4 mm; white petals, and glabrous ovaries; and by the bright-green, glabrous, somewhat fleshy 8-22 mm long capsule.

Flowering

December - March

Flower colours

White

Fruiting

January - April

Life cycle

Minute pappate seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. Best grown in a rockery or alpine house. Dislikes humidity and warmth.

Etymology

epilobium: From the Greek epi- ‘upon’ and lobos ‘a pod’, the flowers appearing to be growing on the seed pod.

tasmanicum: Of or from Tasmania (Australia); named in honour of 17th century Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603-1659)

Where To Buy

Not commercially available

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (31 August 2011). Description adapted from Raven & Raven (1976) and Webb & Simpson (2001).

References and further reading

Raven, P.H.; Raven, T.E. 1976: The genus Epilobium in Australasia. New Zealand DSIR Bulletin 216. Wellington, Government Printer.

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

Webb, C.J.; Simpson, M.J.A. 2011: Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Christchurch, Manuka Press.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Epilobium tasmanicum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/epilobium-tasmanicum/ (Date website was queried)

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