Euphrasia revoluta
Common names
eyebright
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Low tufted perennial herb sometimes with woody stock up to 2 mm diameter; stems slender, rooting at nodes and stoloniferous, branches numerous, erect, up to approximately 50 mm tall, slender to filiform, white-pubescent. Leaves sessile, usually rather close-set, 2-10 x 1-5 mm, narrow- to rhomboid-cuneate with 1 pair of small acute teeth below large triangular or rounded terminal lobe, glabrous, margins thickened and revolute. Flowers single or few at tips of branches, subsessile or on white-pubescent pedicels up to approximately 5 mm long. Calyx 5-8 mm long, white-pubescent, evenly or subevenly divided approximately ⅓ way; lobes acute to subacute, margins and midribs thickened and reddish. Corolla white, 10-15 mm long and diameter; tube usually much longer than calyx; lobes of lower lip 3-5 mm wide, entire, or shallowly emarginate. Anthers red-brown, margins hairy, awns unequal, stout. Capsule more or less equal to calyx, approximately 6-7 x 3-4 mm, oblong to obovate, sparsely setose at apex; seeds numerous, 1-1.5 mm long.
Similar taxa
See ‘Taxonomic Notes’ below.
Distribution
Endemic. North and South Islands, Ruahine and Tararua Ranges southwards.
Habitat
Subalpine boggy and open places, tussock-grassland, and herb-fields.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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
Orobanchaceae
Taxonomic notes
Allan (1961) notes: Plants varying markedly in size, habit, leaf-shape, pubescence, and floral characters have hitherto been included under this name, but those matching the type constitute a well-defined and easily recognizable taxon to which the name is here restricted. Most Nelson specimens in E. revoluta folders belong to the closely related Euphrasia townsonii, which differs most obviously in long pedicels and glandular-hairy calyx. Other plants sometimes included are referable rather to Euphrasia laingii, while Euphrasia drucei and Euphrasia petriei are two further segregants from the complex.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(November-) December – February (-April).
Fruiting
December - April
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds is dispersed by wind and possibly water and ballistic projection (Thorsen et al., 2009).
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]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
euphrasia: Eye-medicine
revoluta: Rolled back from margins or apex
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.
EUPREV
Previous conservation statuses
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. Page 854.
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 (11 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 revoluta Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/euphrasia-revoluta/ (Date website was queried)