Gentianella decumbens
Common name
gentian
Synonyms
None (described in 2004)
Family
Gentianaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
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) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. 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. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (north-west Nelson)
Habitat
Alpine. Usually on summit fellfields or along ridge lines on skeletal or stony soils.
Features
Plants polycarpic, height in flower 80–200 mm, plants 170–400 mm diameter. Caudex branched, 40–220 mm long, stolons absent. Root 3.1–6.2 mm diameter at stem base. Flowering stems 1–27 per plant, lateral only, decumbent, green or crimson, largest stems 1.4–2.5 mm diameter; stem leaves 4–9 pairs per stem with internodes often short, the last pair often at the calyx base, sometimes sheathing the stem; lowest pedicels from near apex of flowering stem. Leaf rosette of leaves absent to distinct from flowering stem leaves. Basal leaves elliptic, leaf apex acute to rounded, 16.0–48.0 × 5.3–10.4 mm wide, green without tinting, often turning yellow with age, V-shaped or channelled, recurved toward the leaf apex; petiole moderately distinct, 12–30 mm long, 2.2–3.6 mm wide at leaf base. Pedicels 1 per leaf axil, 0–19 mm long, 1.1–1.7 mm diameter. Flowers 3–72 per plant, 16–20 mm long, rarely female. Calyx 8.0–12.0 mm long, green, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present; lobes 5.2–8.4 mm long, 2.6–5.1 mm wide at base, apices acute, margins recurved, smooth to minutely denticulate, sinus hairs abundant. Corolla 14.0–19.8 mm long, white; tube 2.8–6.3 mm long; lobes 10.5–13.4 × 7.3–11.1 mm wide, hairs below sinus abundant; nectary 1.0–2.3 mm from corolla base. Filaments 9.0–12.5 mm long from corolla base, 0.9–1.1 mm wide. Anthers 2.3–2.7 mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless. Ovules 26–60 per ovary, ovary yellow in maturity. Capsules 18–29 mm long.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from other New Zealand Gentianella by the long prostrate branches, with plants circular in outline, with the flowers on the perimeter; by the numerous flowering stems (up to 27) per plant), leaves with are green and glossy without secondary pigments; and up to 48 mm long; calyx lobes which range from 2.3–5.1 mm wide; and by the nectary which is located 1.0–2.3 mm from the corolla base.
Flowering
January – March
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Fruiting
February - April
Life cycle
Seeds dispersed by ballistic projection, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009)
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild
Threats
A Naturally Uncommon, range-restricted endemic which is sparsely to locally abundant within its key habitats. There are no known threats, and all the known populations occur within Kahurangi National Park.
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)
decumbens: From the Latin decumbere ‘to lie down, recline’, in botany refers to creeping plants with upright tips
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available
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