Gunnera arenaria
Common names
sand gunnera
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Detailed description
Low growing herb, mat forming. Stolons rather stout, usually creeping through sand, branched, up to approximately 40 cm. long. Leaves on stout, more or less flat, amplexicaul petioles up to 5 cm. long; lamina rather diversely shaped (on same plant) oblong to ovate to sub-rhombic, cuneate to subcordate at base, subcoriaceous, grey-green, 7–12–(20) × 9–15 mm., subglabrous, coarsely crenate, sometimes lobed. Inflorescence up to 7 cm. long, flowers sessile. Staminate flower with filiform calyx-lobes, minute bracts; petals 2, about lanceolate, glabrous, more or less 2 mm. long; filaments obsolete. Pistillate flowers with triangular calyx-lobes more or less 6 mm. long; styles filiform, up to 5 mm. long. Drupes clavate to obconic, patent to pendulous, more or less apiculate, on elongated scapes, yellow to pale red, more or less 4–6 mm long.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura from the Pouto Peninsula south and mainly westerly in its distribution. Occurring locally throughout.
Habitat
A coastal species of damp sand ground, dune slacks and swales, and along tidal river margins. It also grows on coastal sandstone bluffs in some parts of the country.
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 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: CD, DPT, RR
Threats
At risk from coastal development, wetland drainage and the spread of invasive weeds. Some populations have been destroyed by coastal erosion.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Gunneraceae
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–March
Fruiting
November–May
Other information
Etymology
gunnera: Named after Bishop Gunner, a Swedish botanist
arenaria: Sand dweller
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.
GUNARE
Chromosome number
2n = 34
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: CD, DP, RR
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP
2009 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP
2004 | Gradual Decline
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan HH. 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume I. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 1085 p.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward 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.