Myosotis chaffeyorum
Common name
forget-me-not
Synonyms
None - first described in 2012
Family
Boraginaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Current conservation status
The conservation 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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. 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. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP
Distribution
Endemic. South Island (North West Nelson (Kahurangi National Park))
Habitat
Montane in closed red beech (Nothofagus fusca) forest at the bases of limestone cliff faces
Detailed description
Plant perennial, 14–46 mm tall. Rosette leaves 6–9, lamina orbicular, 8.1–8.9 × 7.7–9.2 mm, apex mucronate, mucro c.1 mm long. Leaf indumentum strigose, hairs on upper and lower surface sparsely distributed, non overlapping, appressed and antrorse. Hairs on leaf margin appressed. Petiole well-defined, 11.9–13.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm; hairs appressed, antrorse, sparsely distributed. Stem light brown, decumbent, not rooting at nodes, 59–100 × 0.3–0.5 mm. Stem hairs appressed as for leaves, hairs 0.2–0.6 mm long. Stem leaves elliptic or orbicular, 7.2–8.8 × 4.4–6.2 mm, mucronulate, shortly petiolate or sessile towards distal end of stem. Indumentum as for rosette leaves. Calyx lobes lanceolate, 1.5–2.0 mm long, hairs in upper half of the lobe only. Fruiting calyx 2.3 – 3 mm long; hairs appressed, straight, overlapping, not uniform in size. Flowers borne along the trailing stem, each usually opposite to a leaf. Pedicel at fruiting 1.5–3.0 mm long. Corolla white with yellow scales, 3.7–4.0 mm across. Corolla lobes obovate, not overlapping, 1.4–1.8 × 1.2–1.6 mm, apex rounded or irregularly notched. Corolla tube 2 – 2.2 mm long. Stamens included in the corolla, anther appendage slightly above the scales. Filament attached below scales. Anther 0.5 × 0.2 mm. Style 1.8 mm long, stigma clavate. Nutlet smooth, light brown, ovoid to ellipsoid, 1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm, ventral surface rounded.
Similar taxa
Myosotis chaffeyorum can be confused with M. matthewsii (a North Island (Northland)) endemic and M. spathulata. It differs from Myosotis spathulata differs from Myosotis by its well-defined, slender petiole; appressed, straight hairs on stem, petiole, leaf lamina and margin; and by its decumbent stem not rooting at nodes. From M. matthewsii it differs its strigose indumentum on leaf upper surface; smaller flowers (3.7– 4.0 mm across vs 5.0–8.0 mm across); stamens included in the corolla tube and by the fruiting calyx borne on a shorter pedicel (1.5–3.0 mm vs 4.6 – 8.4 mm)
Flowering
February
Fruiting
February
Propagation technique
Unknown
Threats
Myosotis chaffeyorum is currently known from five populations (four on protected land) and very few individuals (< 250) for this reason it has been listed as Nationally Critical by Lehnebach (2012)
Etymology
myosotis: Mouse-eared
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange (5 September 2012).Description adapted from Lehnebach (2012)
References and further reading
Lehnebach, C.A. 2012: Two new species of forget-me-nots (Boraginaceae) from New Zealand. Phytokeys 16: 53-64. (doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.16.3602 www.phytokeys.com)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Myosotis chaffeyorum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/myosotis-chaffeyorum/ (Date website was queried)