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  4. Nestegis lanceolata

Nestegis lanceolata

Close up of fruits, Te Moehau (March).<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Adult foliage, Waitakere Ranges.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Date taken: 16/09/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Bark of mature tree, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Adaxial surface of leaf, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Abaxial surface of leaf, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Male flowers, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Male flowers, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/12/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common name

white maire

Synonyms

Olea lanceolata Hook.f.; Gymnelaea lanceolata (Hook.f.) L.A.S.Johnson

Family

Oleaceae

Authority

Nestegis lanceolata (Hook.f.) L.A.S.Johnson

Flora category

Vascular – Native

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons

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.

NESLAN

Chromosome number

2n = 46

Current conservation status

  • Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017

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). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By 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.

2012 | Not Threatened

Previous conservation statuses

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Brief description

Tree bearing pairs of dark green narrow smooth leaves that are pale green underneath. Leaves 5-9cm long by 1-2.5cm wide. Fruit red, 8-11mm long, containing a single seed.

Distribution

Endemic. North and South Islands. Widespread and common in the North Island except in the southern part of range (Horowhenua, southern Wairarapa and Wellington areas). Very uncommon in the South Island where it is locally present in the Marlborough Sounds, reaching its southern limit along the Tuamarina River.

Habitat

Widespread in coastal to montane forest. Commonly found on steep hill slopes and ridge lines but also can be locally common in riparian forest. As a rule white maire tends to avoid frost-prone habitats and sites that frequently flood. In the northern part of its range it is often found with narrow-leaved maire (Nestegis montana) and black maire (Nestegis cunninghamii). In some parts of eastern Northland it is also found in coastal forest with Nestegis apetala.

Features

Stout gynodioecious spreading tree up to 20 m tall usually forming a domed canopy; trunk up to c. 1 m diameter; often with several arising from base, these usually straight to somewhat arching, bark firm (not flaking), grey-brown to dark brown, tessellated. Branches slender, upright to spreading; branchlets glabrescent. Leaves glabrous, coriaceous, dark green above and ± glossy, paler beneath, margins plane (rarely weakly undulating), entire with weakly impressed to slightly raised midrib (side veins not evident when leaf fresh); borne on flexible but stout petioles 5-10 mm long; lamina of juveniles 100-400 × 4-10 mm,narrowly linear to linear, apex acute sometimes acuminate; adults lamina 40-80(-100) × 10-30 mm, narrow-ovate, ovate-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic, apex acute to subacuminate, base cuneately narrowed or attenuate; midrib ± raised to weakly impressed above, somewhat prominent below. Inflorescence a 5-10(-14)-flowered raceme, 10-20 mm long; rhachis and pedicels glabrous or minutely puberulent. Male flowers with 2(-4) exserted anthers > 2 mm long, ovary usually rudimentary (occasionally functional); female flowers with large 2-lobed stigma and more deeply lobed calyx, anthers if present rudimentary. Drupe 10-18 mm long, oblong-ovoid to ovoid, flesh pink, red, pinkish-red or orange; endocarp 6.0-15 × 3.5-9.5 mm, dull, pale orange-yellow, oblong, sometimes ovate or narrowly oblong-elliptic. Seed purple-brown. Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb & Simpson (2001).

Similar taxa

Distinguished from Nestegis apetala by its linear juvenile leaves, and much narrower adult leaves. From Nestegis cunninghamii it differs by the non-bullate leaves whose side-veins are not conspicuous, and whose midrib is scarcely impressed above. Distinguishing juvenile Nestegis lanceolata from N. montana is extremely difficult but the leaves of the adults serve to separate them, those of N. montana are 35-90 × 6-9 mm, linear; those of N. lanceolata 40-80(-100) × 10-30 mm. The drupes of N. montana are up to 12 mm long those of N. lanceolata 18mm long. Similarly juvenile black maire and white maire can look very similar, however, the upper leaf surface of black maire juveniles is dull while those of white maire are glossy. The adult branchlets of white maire tend to be glabrous or minutely and sparsely puberulent whilst those of black maire are distinctly pubescent.

Flowering

November - January

Flower colours

Green, Yellow

Fruiting

December - February

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed. Difficult from cuttings. White maire deserves to be more widely grown as it makes an excellent specimen or street tree and once established is remarkably drought tolerant. The fruit is avidly eaten by many birds especially kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae).

Etymology

lanceolata: Lance-shaped

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 9 February 2011. Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb & Simpson (2001).

References and further reading

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Wellington, Government Printer.

Webb, C.J.; Simpson, M.J.A. 2001: Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Christchurch, Manuka Press.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Nestegis lanceolata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/nestegis-lanceolata/ (Date website was queried)

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