Gentianella bellidifolia
Common name
gentian
Synonyms
Gentiana bellidifolia Hook.f., Gentiana bellidifolia var. australis Petrie ex Cheeseman, Gentiana flaccida Petrie, Chionogentias bellidifolia (Hook.f.) L.G.Adams, Oreophylax bellidifolius (Hook.f.) Á.Löve nom. inval.
Family
Gentianaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
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.
GENBEL
Chromosome number
2n = 36
Current conservation status
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
Endemic. New Zealand North and South Islands from Pureora south.
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine in tussock grasslands, herbfields and fellfields
Features
Plants polycarpic, height in flower 80–370 mm. Root 1.2–6.0 mm diameter at stem base. Caudex unbranched or branched, 15–90 mm long, stolons absent. Flowering stems lateral only, 1–13 per plant, largest flowering stem 1.0–3.2 mm diameter, green, tinted purple-black, or bronze, lateral flowering stems erect or decumbent, stem leaves 2–4 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from halfway up flowering stem or near apex of flowering stem. Rosette of leaves present and distinct from flowering stem leaves, leaves narrowly elliptic, elliptic, rhomboid, or orbicular, 11.0–140.0 × 4.0–12.5 mm, green or tinted purple-black, channelled, larger leaves V-shaped, leaf apex acute to rounded; petiole usually distinct, 7.0–27.0 × 0.8–4.6 mm. Flowering stem leaves elliptic to narrowly ovate. Pedicels 1 per leaf axil, 1–48 mm long, 0.8–1.9 mm diameter, 0.5–0.8 mm diameter when dry. Flowers 1–45 per plant, 12–23 mm long, rarely female. Calyx 8.2–13 mm long; lobes 3.8–8.3 mm long, 1.7–4.2 mm wide at base, green or green tinted purple-black, crimson, or brown, plane, lobe apices acute, margins convex, smooth or minutely denticulate, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present or absent, hairs at lobe sinuses few. Corolla 15.6–22.6 mm long, white (in the South Island) or with veins coloured grey-violet (in the North Island), tube 3.4–6.0 mm long; lobes 11.1–17.0 × 6.3–12.4 mm, hairs above sinus present; nectary 0.4–1.4 mm from corolla base. Filaments 7.7–12.5 mm long from corolla base, 0.6–2.0 mm wide. Anthers 1.8–3.0 mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless. Ovules 16–68 per ovary, ovary yellow in maturity, rarely turning blue. Capsule 17–24 mm long.
Similar taxa
Recognised by the flowering stems arising from below the apex of the leaf rosettes; polycarpic flowering habit; narrowly elliptic, elliptic, rhomboid, or orbicular green or purple-black tinted leaves (11-142 mm long); stem leaves sessile and smaller than rosette leaves; large white flowers. Closest to G. amabilis from which differs by its taller growth habit, unspotted leaves narrower calyx lobes 1.7–4.4 mm (cf. 3.1–4.7 mm wide G. amabilis), and narrower filaments (1.2 mm cf. 1.7 mmwide).
Flowering
February – April
Flower colours
Grey, White
Fruiting
March - June
Life cycle
Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Etymology
gentianella: Little Gentiana (named after Gentius, 6th century king of Illyria, who found the roots of the yellow gentian to have a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops)
Attribution
Fact Sheet for NZPCN prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 November 2004). Description modified from Glenny (2004)
References and further reading
Glenny, D. 2004: A revision of the genus Gentianella in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42: 361-530.
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