Gentianella divisa
Common name
gentian
Synonyms
Gentiana bellidifolia var. divisa Kirk, G. divisa (Kirk) Cheeseman, Gentianella bellidifolia var. divisa (Kirk) T.N.Ho et S.W.Liu, Chionogentias divisa (Kirk) L.G.Adams
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.
GENDIV
Chromosome number
2n = 36
Current conservation status
The threat classification 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. 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. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, from Canterbury south along the main divide into Fiordland
Habitat
Alpine. A species of field field, ridge lines, stable scree slopes, snowbanks and cushion bog, Herbfield and high altitude tussock grassland.
Features
Plants monocarpic, biennial, possibly triennial, height in flower 40–200 mm. Caudex unbranched, c.20 mm long. Root 2–6 mm diameter at stem base. Flowering stem terminal, 1.7–5.0 mm diameter at base, 1.4–4.0 mm diameter when dry, stem colour green, tinted slightly purple-black, or bronze, lateral branches of the flowering stem erect to decumbent, flowering stem leaves 0–4 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from near base of flowering stem to near apex of flowering stem. Rosette of leaves absent to distinct from flowering stem leaves; leaves elliptic, orbicular, obovate or narrowly obovate, 16–65 × 7.5–21 mm wide, green, usually flat, sometimes V-shaped or channelled, slightly recurved or not; petiole indistinct, c.13 mm long, 2.8–8.0 mm wide at leaf base; leaf apex rounded. Flowering stem leaves narrowly ovate. Pedicels 1-2 per leaf axil, 7–50 mm long, 1.0–1.9 mm diameter. Flowers 11–60 per plant, 15–20 mm long, often female. Calyx 8.5–11.0 mm long, green or bronze, or green tinted purple-black at lobe apices, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line absent; 4–7-lobed, lobes 5.0–9.0 mm long, 2.0–5.0 mm wide at base, plane but surface often rugose, apices acute, margins smooth or minutely denticulate, sinus hairs sparse to abundant. Corolla 4–6-lobed, 13.5–18.6 mm long, white; tube 3.0–5.6 mm long; lobes 10.2–14.5 × 5.2–9.5 mm wide, hairs below sinus present; nectary 0.6–1.9 mm from corolla base. Filaments 8.5–13.4 mm long from corolla base, 0.9–2.4 mm wide. Anthers 1.9–2.8 mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow or orange-red, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless, purple, crimson, or blue. Ovules 29–76 per ovary, ovary yellow or purple-black in maturity. Capsule 15–17 mm long.
Similar taxa
Recognised by the unbranched caudex, the single taproot, the flat, ± orbicular leaves with obtuse apices and petiole up to 4 mm wide. The central flowering stem is equal in size to the many branches so giving a dense, even surface of flowers. The calyx lobes are wide, project along the lobe fusion lines or overlap each other more than usual, and are rugose on their outer surfaces, often with six calyx lobes. Can be confused with G. corymbifera but G. divisa is usually shorter, and with a much denser branching structure so that the main stem is difficult to see inside the mass of flowers.
Flowering
January – March
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Fruiting
March – May
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)
divisa: Divided
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