Macrolearia angustifolia
Common name
teteaweka
Synonyms
Olearia angustifolia Hook.f., Olearia angustata J.B.Armstr. nom. illegit.
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
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.
OLEANG
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Current conservation status
The threat classification 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. Authors: By 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. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
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: DP, RR
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Bushy small tree with narrow leathery saw-edged dark green leaves that are white underneath and large whiteish daisy-like heads inhabiting coastal forest on Bluff and Stewart Island. Leaves 7-15cm long by 1-2cm wide, widest at base and tapering to tip, many even small thick teeth along edge. Flowers 3.5-5cm wide, petals white, centre purple.
Distribution
Endemic. Locally present on the Bluff Peninsula at the southern tip of the South Island. More common on Rakiura/Stewart Island and surrounding islets.
Habitat
Coastal habitats in “muttonbird scrub” usually overlying peat. Never far from the sea.
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed and cuttings but very difficult to maintain in cultivation. Dislikes humidity and drought, and should be grown in a cool, damp, well drained soil, ideally near the sea. Plants are prone to sudden collapse during times of stress.
Threats
Locally common and secure over large parts of its range. However, some of the eastern populations on the Southland coast which are very fragmented and small and in decline. The species is vulnerable to trampling from livestock and is browsed by possums, deer, goats and livestock.
Etymology
angustifolia: From the Latin angustus ‘narrow, constricted’ and folius ‘leaf’, meaning narrow-leaved
Where To Buy
Occasionally offered by specialist native plant nurseries.
Taxonomic Notes
Together with Macrolearia chathamica, this species is clearly allied to the Fiordland coast / Rakiura / Stewart Island endemic M. oporina, such that some botanists believing them allopatric had considered them all varieties / subspecies of each other. This view, which was unpublished but widely used anyway was not upheld by Saldivia et al. (2022) who established the genus Macrolearia, in the process reviewing the status of the species previously treated as macrocephalous Olearia.
References and further reading
Saldivia, P.; Wagstaff, S.J.; Breitwieser, I.; Orlovich, D.A.; Lord, J.M. 2022: A Generic Taxonomic Synopsis of the Pleurophyllum Clade (Asteraceae: Astereae: Celmisiinae) with the Recognition of the New Zealand Endemic New Genus Macrolearia. Systematic Botany 47: 607–634
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Macrolearia angustifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/macrolearia-angustifolia/ (Date website was queried)