Euphrasia cockayneana
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Yellow
Detailed description
Slender erect succulent-like annual herb 50-100 mm tall, sparingly branched from base, branches pilose with lax transparent hairs and usually dense long jointed glandular hairs. Leaves sessile, rather distant, 4-12 x 3-10 mm, quadrate-ovate to suborbicular in outline with 2-4 pairs of subacute to acute teeth, cuneate at base, scabrid with stiff appressed hairs, especially on thickened revolute margins, and usually densely pilose with long jointed glandular and smaller non-glandular hairs. Flowers, few or several pairs towards the tips of the branches, sessile or on pedicels up to 4 mm long. Calyx 5-8 mm long (sometimes up to 10 x 6 mm in fruit), pubescent as leaves, subevenly divided 1/3-1/2 way; lobes acute, margins and midribs thickened. Corolla bright yellow, 10-12 mm long; tube approximately equal to or longer than calyx; lobes of lower lip up to 3 mm wide, shallowly emarginate. Anthers golden yellow, margins hairy, awns usually very unequal. Capsule longer than calyx, 5-8 x 4-5 mm, obovate to pyriform, glabrous; seeds 6-8 per locule, 1.5-2 mm. long.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, Matiri Range south to Cragieburn Forest Park.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine boggy and open places.
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
E. berggrenii Wettst.
Taxonomic notes
On the Paparoa Range plants are rather uniformly luxuriant with long glandular hairs abundant and the stiff appressed scabridity obscured or almost absent. At Arthur’s Pass and other localities where it occurs in company with E. zelandica the pubescence is very variable; sometimes the flattened white hairs characteristic of the latter species occur on the leaves and glandular hairs may be absent, the fine stiff pubescence of margins and veins then similar to that of E. cheesemanii. Gradation also in habit and in size and colour of corolla is noted under E. zelandica.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December – March (June)
Fruiting
January – March
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds is dispersed by wind and possibly water and ballistic projection (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Other information
Plant of the Month
This plant has been featured as a Plant of the Month – see Trilepidea: NZPCN newsletter for February 2019 for the full story.
Etymology
euphrasia: Eye-medicine
cockayneana: Named after Leonard Cockayne FRS (7 April 1855 - 8 July 1934) who is regarded as New Zealand’s greatest botanist and a founder of modern science in New Zealand
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.
EUPCOC
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
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Volume 1. Wellington: Government Printer. Pages 855-856.
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 M.D. Ward (3 November 2020) Description adapted from Allan (1961).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: Ward, M.D. (Year at time of access): Euphrasia cockayneana Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/euphrasia-cockayneana/ (Date website was queried)