Myosotis tenericaulis
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Decumbent, green or bronze, sprawling to weakly ascending, slender, perennial herb forming roughly circular to assymetrical diffuse patches up to 200 mm diameter. Adventitious roots frequently produced along weakly ascending partially buried or creeping stem, or adventitious roots absent. Lateral branches 1-10 (or more), weak and somewhat flaccid, occasionally producing new rosettes where touching the ground, some branching again and on occasion flowering. Rosette-leaves obvious, or not very obvious due to creeping stem, these 6-12 x 3-6 mm, elliptic to broadly oval, gradually narrowing to slender petioles up to 40 mm long; hairs of lamina short, closely appressed, mostly evenly though sparsely covering upper surface, undersides glabrescent. Flowering branches 20-400 mm long, internodes distinctly longer than leaves; petioles becoming progressively shorter in upper cauline leaves; bracts sub- to sessile; other similar in shape and indument to rosette and basal stem leaves. Inflorescences cymose; cymes elongated, simple or branched, several-flowered, internodes long, flowers solitary, bract opposed or noticeably belwo bract. Pedicels 1-10 mm long in fruit. Calyx 1.5-3.5(-4) mm, lobes > 1/2 calyx length, narrow, acute, hairs short, appressed, evenly though sparsely distributed. Corolla 3-4 mm diameter, white sometimes with a yellow throat; tube 2 mm long, cylindric; lobes 1 x 1 mm, rounded; filaments almost wanting, anthers < 1 mm long, yellow, included within tube; style up to 4 mm long, stigma capitate. Nutlets projecting from short, widely open calyx, 1.2-1.6 x 0.8-0.9 mm, ovate-elliptic to elliptic, apex obtuse, base rounded margins slightly winged.
Similar taxa
Recognised by corolla up to 4 mm diameter, more or less concave, narrow lobes; anthers (< 1 mm long) which are included within or just protrude from the floral tube, and very short, scarcely exserted stigma. The calyces are lobed to about half their length, with the lobes spreading and erect in fruit. In this species, the calyx hairs are sparse, but evenly distributed, distinctly spreading, and of uniform length, while the indument of the petioles, internodes and pedicels is similar but much longer. Frequently confused with M. spatulata, which is usually a larger plant whose leaf base rapidly narrows to the petiole, bracts (at least lower ones) and leaves are often orbicular with erect hairs on the undersurfaces, and the hairs on the calyx and stems are distinctly erect and sometimes more or less hooked. Furthermore the stigma is clavate rather than capitate. The amount of stigma projection is not a good character for separating these two distinct species.
Distribution
Endemic. North, South and Stewart Islands. In the North Island apaprently confined to the north-western Ruahine Range and the south-western Kaimanawa Range (this last, a discovery in Dec 1996). In the South Island is locally distributed from Nelson to Southland though apparently absent from Westland, Marlborough and Canterbury. Also on Stewart island. This species is easily overlooked.
Habitat
Lowland to alpine (0-1400 m a.s.l.). Upper montane to alpine in the North Island, otherwise as stated. Usually on the margins of slow flowing streams, in muddy ground, on the margins of small, ephemeral pools, in wet ground at the bases of tall tussocks and, under the foliage of large tussocks, on their ‘pedestals’; in shaded sites within forests overlying poorly drained alluvium, and in alpine flushes, seepages and cushion bogs.
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.
- 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: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT
Threats
An apparently naturally uncommon, biological sparse species. It may be threatened in some parts of its range through competition from weeds. Clarification of its conservation status is needed.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Myosotis tenuis G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - March
Fruiting
November - April
Propagation technique
Difficult as tends to be short-lived and does not self-sow very well. Prone to fungal diseases and dislikes humidity. An attractive pot plant for an alpine house.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
myosotis: Mouse-eared
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.
MYOTEN
Previous conservation statuses
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.
- 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.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Threatened – Regionally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPT, NStr, PF, RR, Sp, TL
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Goverment Printer, Wellington.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 1 February 2008. Description based on Allan (1961).
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 tenericaulis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/myosotis-tenericaulis/ (Date website was queried)