Muehlenbeckia ephedroides
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Green, White
Detailed description
Gynodioecious, sprawling to prostrate, grey-green, grey to grey-black shrub forming dense, untidy mats up to 1.5 m or more diameter. Stems much branched, final branches c. 1 mm diameter, flexuous, striate, puberulent, grey to grey-black or grey-green. Leaves 5–25 mm long, dark to grey-green, narrow-linear, glabrous to glabrate, margins revolute, ascending, distant, spaced along constricted nodes, often sparse, deciduous,sometimes absent; ochreae 1–2 mm long, chartaceous, truncate. Inflorescence a few-flowered fascicle or raceme; pedicels 1–1.5 mm, pale, bracteate, slender. Flowers with pistillate on separate plants, and staminate and perfect on the same plant; if mainly male then raceme often lax, if female then fascicle dense, mixed male and perfect racemes more or less intermediate. Tepals 3–3.5 mm long, united about halfway, lobes narrow-triangular, white, greenish or pale yellow-green; stigmas frimbriate. Fruit 3 × 1.5 mm, trigonous, ovoid, lustrous black, tepals becoming swollen, white and succulent, or rarely chartaceous and dry.
Similar taxa
None. The near leafless, dark grey to grey-black, rush-like stems, untidy, sprawling mass of seemingly dead stick and twig like branches and stems are unique to this species.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (mainly eastern from Lake Taupo (Acacia Bay) and the northern Hawkeʻs Bay south to Wellington and Cape Palliser), South Island (eastern from Marlborough to Southland).
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine (0–1,200 m a.s.l.). A species of river flats, beaches, sand spits, alluvial fans, outwash gravels and river terraces, also found in grey scrub. Favouring open, dry, free-draining but fertile sites, usually on gravel and sandy soils, in habitats naturally free from other taller plants. Sometimes found on gravel roads.
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
Most abundant within the north-eastern South Island. It is highly threatened in the North Island and appears to be extinct around Lake Taupo. Small populations persist in Hawke’s Bay, southern Wairarapa and on the south Wellington coastline. In the South Island it is more widespread but rarely common. In some areas its past presence may be identified by hybrid swarms that exist between it and other New Zealand Muehlenbeckia species (e.g., M. axillaris or M. complexa).
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–June
Fruiting
November–June
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed, rooted pieces and semi-hardwood cuttings. An unusual plant that makes an excellent ground cover in sunny, free draining sites. Does not like much shade. Once established very drought tolerant. An intriguing plant that also makes a great pot plant.
Other information
Etymology
muehlenbeckia: Named after a botanist named Muehlenbeck
ephedroides: Like ephedra, the horse-tail rush
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.
MUEEPH
Chromosome number
2n = 20
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: PD, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: PD, Sp
2004 | Sparse
Referencing and citations
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (1 June 2013).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Muehlenbeckia ephedroides Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/muehlenbeckia-ephedroides/ (Date website was queried)