Myosotis venticola
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT, RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Distribution
New Zealand. South Island: Canterbury, Otago (St Bathans); Mackenzie (Lake Ōhau).
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Flowering January, fruiting January–February.
Other information
Etymology
myosotis: Mouse-eared
venticola: The epithet venticola means ‘wind-dwelling’ or ‘inhabiting windy areas’ and comes from the Latin words ventus, meaning ‘wind’, and cola, meaning ‘dweller’. The epithet refers to the very windy alpine habitats in which plants of this species occur, and is a tribute to the formidable gales we encountered when collecting specimens of it in the Dunstan Mountains.
Chromosome number
Unknown
Previous 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.
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Threatened – Regionally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NR, NS, NStr, 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
Meudt, H. M., & Prebble, J. M. 2022. Morphological analyses support recognition of three new threatened species of bracteate–prostrate Myosotis (Boraginaceae) endemic to the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Australian Systematic Botany, 35(5), 364-394.