Geum albiflorum
Common name
Auckland Island geum, Auckalnd Island avens
Synonyms
Oncostylus albiflorus (Hook.f.) F.Bolle; Sieversia albiflora Hook.f., Geum aucklandicum Greene, G. sericeum Kirk, G. parviflorum var. albiflorum (Hook.f) Allan.
Family
Rosaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, RR
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE
2004 | Data Deficient
Distribution
Endemic to the Auckland Islands.
Habitat
On cliff faces and rock strewn ground, usually near high points.
Features
Leafy, silky-hairy, rossette forming herb. Leaves 2-3 cm long, orbicular-cordate (circular to heart-shaped) or reniform (shaped like a kidney), bright to dull green, minutely lobed or crenate-toothed, hairy and rough textured on undersides, silky hairy above. Lateral leaflets absent or if present minute. Inflorescence on a stout, downy, 6-12 cm tall stalk, bearing 1-3 toothed bracts. Flowers in racemes, or solitary and terminal, subtended by ovate bracteoles. Calyx tube open, silky, calyx-lobes narrow, ovate to subacute. Petals white, only just exceeding calyx, bilobed (retuse). Achenes (seeds) with a short stalk, ovate, compressed, copiously covered in silky hairs, style remnant shorter than achene, hooked.
Similar taxa
Morphologically similar to G. cockaynei, a common species of the North and South Islands, which does not occur on the Auckland Islands. G. albiflorum differs from it by its smaller leaves, 3-5 flowered inflorescences, and by the styles which are shorter than the achenes.
Flowering
No information available
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
No information available
Life cycle
Pappate achenes are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Probably difficult to grow without an alpine house. Fresh seed should germinate easily.
Threats
Geum albiflorum is probably not threatened. However, because it is an island endemic restricted to an remote island archipelago, and it has not always been accepted as a distinct taxon, its abundance in the wild remains unknown. It is for this reason it has been listed as Data Deficient.
Etymology
geum: Possibly from the Greek geuo ‘to give a pleasant flavour’, the roots of some species being aromatic.
albiflorum: From Latin albus ‘white’ and florus ‘flower’
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 August 2004). Description based on Hooker (1844)
References and further reading
Hooker, J.D. 1844: The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839-1843.1. Flora Antarctica Part I. Botany of Lord Auckland’s Group and Campbell’s Island ed. London., Reeve, Brothers. 208 p.
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
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Geum albiflorum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/geum-albiflorum/ (Date website was queried)