Nertera villosa
Common names
hairy forest nertera
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Prostrate hairy herb, openly branched, rooting at nodes. Stems 0.6-1.0 mm diameter with internodes 20-40 mm long, densely hairy when young. Hairs subappressed at first, becoming patent to erect, straight, becoming bent, 3-5-celled, the distal cell tapered to a fine point. Leaves opposite, stipulate, petiolate. Stipule interpetiolar, adnate to base of petiole, broadly triangular, 1.0 × 1.5 mm, undersides hairy when young, becoming membranous. Petiole 4-10mm long, hairy. Lamina broadly ovate-deltoid, 7-15 × 5-13 mm, apex subacute, base truncate, entire, with scattered erect hairs on both surfaces, margins glabrous, rich green above, pale green or purplish below, veins obscure above, clear below, raphides obscure. Flowers bisexual, protogynous, solitary and terminal on short branchlets, sessile, closely subtended by 2 pairs of leaves. Calyx a shallow rim, irregularly lobed, lobes c.0.2 mm long. Corolla funnelform, c. 3 mm long, 4-lobed, lobes ovate, spreading, undersides translucent green with purple flecks, 1 mm long, acute, upper surface hairy, margins papillose. Stamens 4, filaments glabrous, attached to receptacle and adnate to base of corolla tube, anthers yellow, dorsifixed, exserted from corolla. Style bifid, pale green, branches diverging, exserted from corolla. Ovary inferior, 2- celled, with 1 ovule in each cell. Fruit a globose, orange to red, shining, drupe, c. 6 mm diameter, often hairy, pyrenes 2, plano-convex, c.3.5 × 2.5 mm.
Similar taxa
Nertera villosa differs from the other six New Zealand species of Nertera by its more robust habit, and in being densely covered in erect to sub-appressed straight hairs comprised of 3-5 cells. Nertera dichondrifolia (A.Cunn.) Hook.f. is a more slender plant of northern North Island forests (mostly north of 38°S) with the leaves apiculate and the hairs more sparse, curved, and comprised of 7-13 cells
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North (scarce north of 37°S (Waipoua, Little and Great Barrier Islands), otherwise common), South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.
Habitat
Lowland to montane. Usually in forest. Occasionally along river banks in frost flats. Uncommon in the drier parts of the eastern North and South Islands.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None (first described in 1995)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
September – January
Fruiting
October – June
Propagation technique
Easily grown from rooted pieces. An excellent ground cover for a shaded pathway or under taller shrubs and trees.
Other information
Etymology
nertera: Lowly, low growing
villosa: From Latin (villus) meaning shaggy or hairy.
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.
NERVIL
Chromosome number
2n = 44
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 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
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 “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: TL
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
MacMillan, B.H. 1995: Nertera villosa B.H.Macmill. et R.Mason (Rubiaceae), a new species from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 33: 435-438.
Attribution
Description adapted from MacMillan (1995).