Lobelia carens
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Blue, White
Detailed description
Creeping, prostrate, moderately hairy to occasionally glabrous herb; rooting at leaf nodes. Leaves alternate, upright to spreading; lamina 2.5–7.2 × 1.5–6.0 mm, orbicular, suborbicular, to broadly elliptic, often oblanceolate to oblong in shade, green, blotched purple-brown, moderately hairy, hairs < 0.2 mm long and patent, rarely glabrous, midvein faint, lateral veins faint to obscure, margin with 5–7 prominent denticles or shallow teeth, apex obtuse to subacute; petiole 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–0.4 mm. Flowers hermaphrodite, resupinate, axillary, solitary; peduncle 0.5–27.0 × 0.3–0.6 mm. Calyx with short tube adnate to ovary; lobes 5, 1.2–1.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm, green, narrow triangular to lanceolate, underside glabrous to moderately hairy, upper surface glabrous or occasionally sparsely hairy near apex; apex subacute and with conspicuous, translucent, tip. Corolla up to 9.5 mm long in late bud, 6.0–8.0 mm diameter when open, white, with two green or yellow-green markings between the sinus of the front three corolla lobes, without conspicuous purple-violet blotches at the base of the three front corolla lobes; tube 2.5–4.5 mm long, 1.0–2.0 mm wide, fused, under surface glabrous to sparsely hairy, upper surface sometimes sparsely hairy; lobes 5, 2.4–5.0 × 0.8–1.5 mm, narrow-lanceolate, recurved, apex subacute. Filaments 3.0–3.6 × 0.2–0.3 mm, fused below anthers, adnate from base to upper half of the corolla tube, white occasionally flushed pale blue in distal part, becoming translucent and flushed green toward proximal part. Anthers united into a tube around style, 0.9–1.5 mm long, purple-brown, curved over at top. Nectary annular, 0.2–0.4 mm high, green to yellow-green; apex sparsely hairy. Ovary 1.5–2.5 × 1.1–1.4 mm, green, usually moderately hairy, occasionally glabrous, apex obtuse. Style 4.3–5.5 × 0.2–0.4 mm, white to pale green, exserted beyond anthers. Stigma bilobed, lobes 0.3–0.7 × 0.4–1.0 mm, pink. Capsule 2.4–3.5 × 2.0–2.8 mm, green, often flushed purple-brown; thin-walled, seeds visible through wall, indehiscent and without apical valves, disintegrating with age; apex crowned with persistent style base; base obtuse to slightly cuneate. Seed broadly elliptic to obovate-oblong, olive green, semi-glossy, 0.4–0.5 mm long.
Similar taxa
Differs from Lobelia ionantha Heenan and L. fatiscens Heenan by its usually hairy stems, leaves, and flower parts, from L. ionantha by smaller flowers that lack purple blotches at the base of the lower three corolla lobes, and from L. fatiscens by its usually orbicular leaves, larger flowers, and fewer chromosomes
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (South Auckland, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, and
Habitat
Lowland to subalpine. A species of the margins of lake, tarn and ephemeral wetlands, stream banks, and seepages in tussock grassland, where it grows with other short turf and small herb species.
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: DPS, DPT
Threats
Known from about 10 sites – a few populations are within National Parks and are probably secure, otherwise the rest of the wetland habitats it occupies have been or continue to be modified by naturalised species.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Campanulaceae
Synonyms
None (described in 2008)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Throughout the year
Fruiting
Throughout the year
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and rooted pieces. An attractive ground cover for a damp sunny or semi-shaded site. An excellent pot plant.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
lobelia: Named after Lobel, pioneer botanist
Chromosome number
2n = 14
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: DP
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Heenan et al. 2008: Generic placement in Lobelia and revised taxonomy for New Zealand species previously in Hypsela and Isotoma (Lobeliaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 46: 87–100.
Attribution
Description modified from Heenan et al. (2008).