Hoheria equitum
Common name
Poor Knights houhere
Synonyms
None (first described in 2000)
Family
Malvaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
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.
HOHEQU
Chromosome number
2n = 42
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 | Qualifiers: IE
2004 | Range Restricted
Brief description
Small soft-wooded tree producing white flowers that develop into a dry winged seed inhabiting the Poor Knights Islands. Leaves thin, oval, 35-150mm long by 15-95mm wide, with small teeth along margin, on 10-30mm long stalks. Flowers white, in groups of 1-15, on stalks 10-20mm long.
Distribution
Endemic. Poor Knights and Hen and Chicken Islands only
Habitat
Coastal forest on offshore islands. Sometimes in petrel scrub or low windshorn forest along ridge lines.
Detailed description
Evergreen tree to 8 m tall, more or less glabrous except the young shoots and flower buds which are clad in stellate hairs, bark fibrous, tough, branches slender, sucker shoots frequent. Juvenile foliage similar to adult. Leaves yellow-green, alternate, 35-150 × 15-95 mm, elliptic to broadly elliptic apex obtuse to subacuminate, acumen, where present, often obtuse; young leaves with stellate hairs on undersides, soon glabrescent; margins recurved, entire or distantly and rather obscurely serrate with blunt teeth up to 1-2 mm long, petiole 10-30 mm long, stipules linear, 3.5 × 0.5 mm. Flowers in 1-15-flowered axillary fascicles, these solitary on articulated pedicels 10-20 mm long, bearing few hairs. Flowers hermaphrodite, regular, 10-23 mm across. Epicalyx absent. Calyx rather deeply toothed, lobes 5, 2 × 2 mm, clad in sparse stellate hairs when young, without adaxial glands. Petals 5, white, obtuse, asymmetrical with a notch on one side of the apex, slightly clawed at base. Staminal column adnate to corolla, bearing c.20 stamens in 5 bundles, sparse, stiff hairs present abaxially at base of staminal tube, anthers dark red before dehiscence, fading to pale yellow. Ovary superior, 5-celled, 1.8 × 1.5 mm, with a crown of short hairs at the apex, Ovules pendulous, 1 in each cell. Style branches 5, stigma 0.5 mm wide, capitate or obliquely capitate, not decurrent. Fruit a schizocarp, separating from a central xis into 5, 1-seeded, more or less indehiscent winged Mericarps. Mericarps 4.0-4.8 mm long, semicircular, initially bright green maturing greyish, broader at base, rounded to angular otherwise, wings arising from upper ½ of dorsal surface, ribbed, margins irregularly toothed to somewhat smooth .
Similar taxa
Hoheria populnea A.Cunn., from which H. equitum differs by its uniformly bright green to dark green, usually larger, entire or finely serrated or crenate margined leaves; smaller flowers which are usually obscured amongst the foliage. H. equitum is an island endemic which is sympatric in the southern part of its range with H. populnea on the Hen & Chicken Islands. DNA sequences (MatK and ITS) confirm that it is distinct from all other Hoheria species.
Flowering
January - March
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Fruiting
March - May
Life cycle
Winged mericarps are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed - indeed naturalises in gardens. Can be grown from semi-hardwood cuttings but these are difficult to strike. A short-lived, very fast growing tree, ideal in a dry, open, exposed spot. Likes full sun, reasonably tolerant of frost once established
Threats
Abundant within its narrow geographic range
Etymology
hoheria: Latin version of the Maori name houhere which refers to H. populnea and H. glabrata.
Where To Buy
Occasionally available from specialist native plant nurseries
Attribution
Description (except for fruits) adapted from Heads (2000)
References and further reading
Heads, M. 2000: A new species of Hoheria (Malvaceae) from the Poor Knights Islands and Hen and Chickens Islands, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 38: 373-377
Moorfield, J. C. (2005). Te aka : Maori-English, English-Maori dictionary and index. Pearson Longman: Auckland, N.Z.
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): Hoheria equitum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hoheria-equitum/ (Date website was queried)