Montitega dealbata
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Very low-growing woody cushion to 0.5m wide bearing erect tight-packed small narrow pointy leaves that are dark green with a white underside and producing red fruit inhabiting open upland areas. Leaves 3-5mm long by 1-2mm wide, green strip up middle underneath. Flower white, tubular.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Prostrate, woody shrub forming dense cushion-like patches up to 400mm diameter and 30 mm tall; branches numerous, ascending at tips; branchlets numerous, ascending. Leaves subsessile, close-set, imbricate, erect, coriaceous, glabrous; lamina 3-5 × 1-2 mm, narrow-oblong to narrow-elliptic, minutely apiculate (sometimes not); adaxially glaucous to dark brown-green, abaxially white below except for midribs and margins (these same colour as adaxial leaf surface); margins more or less thickened towards base. Flowers minute, white, hairy, solitary, axillary and/or terminal. Bracts numerous, investing peduncle. Calyx-lobes broad-oblong, obtuse, ciliolate. Corolla-tube cylindric, much > calyx; lobes acute, densely hairy on upper surface. Style minutely 5-lobed. Fruit 4-6 mm diameter, globose, dark red; locules usually 5.
Similar taxa
Most likely to be confused with Pentachondra pumila which grows in similar places and has a superficially similar growth habit. Pentachondra pumila differs from Montitega by its adaxially dark purplish-green leaves (abaxially finely striate) which lack mucronate apices, and larger (6-8 mm diameter) bright red to orange pyriform fruits.
Distribution
Indigenous. Australia (Tasmania) and New Zealand (North, South and Stewart Islands).
Habitat
From sea level to alpine zones on poorly drained ground or peat bogs amongst other cushion-plants, shrubs and grasses. In northern part of its range this species is strictly alpine.
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 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ericaceae
Synonyms
Cyathodes pumila Hook.f.; Styphelia minuta Sleumer; Cyathodes dealbata R.Br.
Taxonomic notes
The New Zealand plant was long known as Cyathodes pumila Hook.f., though some considered our plant conspecific with the Tasmanian C. dealbata R.Br. Albrecht et al. (2010) show that New Zealand and Tasmanian plants are conspecific, and further, that they are misplaced in Cyathodes. As such the authors established a new, monotypic genus Montitega (M. dealbata (R.Br.) C.M.Weiller) for Cyathodes dealbata.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
January - March
Fruiting
January - April
Life cycle
Fleshy drupes are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild
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]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
dealbata: Whitened
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.
MONDEA
Chromosome number
2n = 24
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1861: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Wellington, Government Printer.
Albrecht, D.E.; Owens, C.T.; Weiller, C.M.; Quinn, C.J. 2010: Generic concepts in Ericaceae: Styphelioideae - the Monotoca group. Australian Systematic Botany 23: 320-332.
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.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (30 December 2010). Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Albrecht et al (2010).
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): Montitega dealbata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/montitega-dealbata/ (Date website was queried)