Lagunaria patersonia
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
Norfolk Island hibiscus tree, white oak, whitewood, pyramid tree
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Red/Pink
Habitat
A commonly planted tree in coastal and lowland areas of northern New Zealand. Popular because it is very fast growing and once established wind, salt and drought tolerant. The seeds are enclosed in long hibiscus-like pods, these are covered in bristle-like hairs which can cause major irritation if they pierce the skin.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ecology
Flowering
September–April but sporadic throughout the year
Fruiting
Present throughout the year
Year naturalised
1994 (published 1996)
Origin
Norfolk and Lord Howe Island groups. The Queensland plant long treated as a subspecies (subsp. bracteata (Benth.) P.S.Green) has recently been elevated to species rank as L. queenslandica Craven.
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Cold sensitive. Drought, wind and salt tolerant.
Life cycle and dispersal
Long-lived perrenial, forming a seed bank with seed germinating only when conditions are suitable. Reproduces by seed - in good conditions it can begin to flower within four years of germination. Mainly spread by inappropriate coastal plantings, careless discard of garden clippings and down water courses near which it has been planted. The seeds are enclosed in somewhat buoyant pods.
Other information
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
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.
LAGPAT