Myosotis antarctica subsp. traillii
Common names
pygmy forget-me-not
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
Ground hugging rosette herb in 1cm to several cm clumps. Lateral branched few to many, prostrate, up to 9cm long. Leaves oval to spoon-shaped; upper surface hairy except towards base, lower surface almost hairless. Leaf hairs stiff and spreading. Flowers white to cream, 3mm diameter.
Flower colours
Cream, White
Similar taxa
Myosotis brevis. Myosotis pygmaea has larger flowers than Myosotis brevis.
Distribution
North Island south from the Coromandel Peninsula (a small islet near Coromandel Harbour), including Hawke’s Bay, Castlepoint, South Taranaki Coast and near Cape Palliser. South Island, south from Nelson, mainly east of main divide.
Habitat
Open coastal habitats to upland grassland, herbfield, open rocky, sandy places and stream sides. Sea level to 1200m a.s.l.
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 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: Sp, CI, DPT
Threats
The main threat throughout this species range is loss of habitat, caused by land development, weed invasion and coastal erosion.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Boraginaceae
Synonyms
Myosotis pygmaea Colenso; Myosotis ramificata G.Simpson; Myosotis pygmaea Colenso var. pygmaea
Taxonomic notes
The autonym Myosotis pygmaea var. pygmaea became unnecessary when de Lange & Barkla elevated the other varieties of M. pygmaea to species rank in de Lange et al. (2010).
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(August-) September to December (however sporadic flowering may occur throughout the year)
Fruiting
September to January (however fruits may be found throughout the year)
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed. However, plants are short-lived and prone to fungal diseases in humid climates.
Other information
Etymology
myosotis: Mouse-eared
antarctica: Antarctic
traillii: After Charles Trail, Stewart Islander
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.
MYOPYG
Chromosome number
2n = 44
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: Sp
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: Sp
2004 | Serious Decline
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington.
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (30 August 2003). For more information see Allan (1961) and de Lange 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): Myosotis antarctica subsp. traillii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/myosotis-antarctica-subsp-traillii/ (Date website was queried)