Hoheria ovata
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Small soft-wooded tree bearing leathery toothed leaves and large white flowers that develop into a winged dry fruit inhabiting limestone areas in Northwest Nelson. Leaves 5-8cm long by 2-4cm wide, widest at base, network of darker veins visible underneath. Flowers white, with cluster of filaments in centre.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Much branched, spreading tree up to 6 m tall, canopy often broadly domed; Mature branches and branchlets ± glabrous, purple-black; young growth and inflorescences ± densely stellate indumentum. Leaves on stout, pliant petioles up to 10 mm long; lamina of leaves of young plants 10-50 × 10-30 mm, coriaceous, adaxially dark green to grey-green, abaxially paler, broad-ovate to suborbicular, apex obtuse to acute, margins deeply, coarsely serrate-dentate; lamina of adults 50-80 × 20-40 mm, coriaceous, fleshy, ovate-lanceolate, ovate to broad-ovate, apex acute to acuminate, deeply, coarsely serrate-dentate. Flowers 20-30 mm diameter, solitary or in 3-6-flowered cymose fascicles, on firmly pliant, stellate-pubescent pedicels up to 40 mm long. Calyx densely stellate pubescent, campanulate, 4.2-5.8 mm long, (3-)5-fid; teeth narrow-triangular. Petals (10-)15(-18) mm long, white, oblong to broadly oblong, apex ± notched. Stigma capitate. Anthers reniform. Carpels and styles 5. Mericarp semicircular, winged, main body 4.3-6.0 mm long, brown; wing 3.2-7.0 mm long, light-orange yellow, base finely, ± densely covered with stellate hairs.
Similar taxa
Hoheria ovata resembles a smaller statured and flowered Hoheria populnea. It differs from most of the range of Hoheria populnea by its smaller, distinctly thicker leaves, and very much larger flowers, longer and earlier flowering season, and by the prominent stellate-pubescence on the young stems, pedicels, calyces and mericarps. Hoheria ovata closely resembles hybrids that have been raised between H. populnea and H. sexstylosa and it seems probable that this is its origin. However, neither putative parent now grows within the range of Hoheria ovata which forms a true-breeding, stable unit across a large part of North-West Nelson and northern Westland. Further research into this species relationship to Hoheria populnea and H. sexstylosa is needed, perhaps using modern molecular methods.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, on the west Coast only from North West Nelson to at least Greymouth
Habitat
Lowland to montane. Often on calcareous rocks (marble, limestone, dolomite and calcareous sand, and siltstone), especially on cliff faces, talus slopes and rock outcrops. less commonly seen as a scarce component of disturbed riparian forest. Sometimes prominent on forest margins.
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.
- 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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Hoheria sexstylosa var. ovata (G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson) Allan
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - March
Fruiting
February - May
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed. Somewhat slower growing than H. populnea or H. sexstylosa, and taking longer to flower. However, the small stature, smaller, rather thick, leathery leaves, very large flowers and long flowering time make this a very attractive species which deserves to be more widely grown.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
hoheria: Latin version of the Maori name houhere which refers to H. populnea and H. glabrata.
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.
HOHOVA
Chromosome number
2n = 42
Previous conservation statuses
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.
- 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.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Wellington, Government Printer.
Moorfield, J. C. (2005). Te aka : Maori-English, English-Maori dictionary and index. Pearson Longman: Auckland, N.Z.
Webb, C.J.; Simpson, M.J.A. 2001: Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Christchurch, Manuka Press.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange 3 April 2011. Description based on herbarium specimens and live plants grown (Mt Burnett origin) by P.J. de Lange (3 April 2011) supplemented by information obtained from Allan (1961) and Webb & Simpson (2011).
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.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Hoheria ovata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hoheria-ovata/ (Date website was queried)