Olearia ilicifolia
Common names
hakeke, mountain holly
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Small spreading tree bearing dark-green to greyish-green leathery leaves with jagged, spiny margins. Bark flaking in long strips. Leaves 5–12 cm long × 1–2 cm wide. Flowers numerous, borne in dense clusters toward branchlet apices, bearing white ray florets and yellow disc-florets. Fruits small wind-borne brown seeds, surmounted by a readily detachable, fluffy, yellowish pappus.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Much branched shrubs to small trees up to 6 × 3 m, usually forming a domed canopy unless growing in dense scrub. Trunk and lower branches covered in orange-grey bark, mature bark often semi-detached and peeling from base upwards in long strips. Branches many to few depending on conditions; branchlets pliant, initially pubescent, becoming glabrous with age, leaves usually clustered toward apices. Leaves long persistent, coriaceous borne on stout petioles 15–22 mm long; lamina 50–120 × 10–20 mm, linear-oblong to lanceolate; apices acute, acuminate, bases truncate, margins undulose, sharply serrate-dentate, teeth spinescent, adaxial surface dark green to fulvous grey-green; ± glabrous (immature and expanding leaves sparsely covered in appressed, fulvous-white tomentum), abaxially paler, finely clad in appressed fulvous-white tomentum), tomentum tending to shed with age. Inflorescence a lateral corymbose panicle, bearing 8–15(–20) capitula. Capitulum 8–12 mm long, 10–12 mm diameter. Pedicels 10–18 mm long, finely invested in fulvous-white to white appressed hairs. Involucre cylindrical, 2-seriate, outer abaxially villous, inner apically ciliate. Florets 15–20. Ray-florets 10–12(–16) pisillate, corolla glabrous, tube 2.2 mm long, ligulate with deflexed white limb 3.1–4.2 × 1.0–1.3 mm, 1–2(–3)-lobed at apex. Disc florets 5–8 per capitulum, hermaphrodite, corolla glabrous, yellow or pink, tube 2.9–3.1 mm long, lobes 5, 1.2–1.5 × 0.5 mm. Seeds (cypselae) 1.7–2.5 mm long, brown, narrowly oblong to narrowly oblong-elliptic or narrowly obovate-elliptic, longitudinally ribbed 3–6×, ribs raised; pappus caducous, 3–4 mm long, fulvous, finely barbellate.
Similar taxa
Easily distinguished from all other New Zealand Olearia species on account of the leaves which have serrate-dentate (finely ‘spiny’) undulating margins - a feature earning this species the vernacular ‘mountain holly’. Olearia ilicifolia readily hybridises with O. arborescens (these hybrids are called O. ×macrodonta) and less frequently with O. lacumosa and O. quinquevulnera.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand, North, South and Stewart Islands from the Pukeamaru and Herangi Range south.
Habitat
Lowland to subalpine - montane to subalpine in northern part of range but extending to lowland forest and scrub in South Island part of range. A species of shrublands, river flats and valley heads, also prominent on ridgelines in so called ‘cloud’ forest and ‘goblin forest’. A common riparian species in the montane river systems of the western South Island.
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
Olearia multibracteolata Colenso
Taxonomic notes
Some botanists regard North and South Island populations of Olearia ilicifolia as distinct and warranting some level of taxonomic recognition. This matter requires further critical investigation.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - February
Fruiting
April - June
Propagation technique
Easily grown from semi-hardwood cuttings and fresh seed. Does best in a cool climate (dislikes hot or humid conditions). A beautiful small tree or shrub well suited to a rockery margin. Does best when planted in a well drained, moist, humus enriched soil. Does not tolerate drying out.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
olearia: Named after Johann Gottfried Olearius, a 17th-century German scholar, writer of hymns and author of Specimen Florae Hallensis
ilicifolia: Leaves like holly (Ilex)
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.
OLEILI
Chromosome number
2n = 108
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
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
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.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Webb, C.J.; Simpson, M.J.A. 2001: Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Christchurch, Manuka Press.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for the NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (25 January 2015). Description mostly based on observations made from fresh and dried specimens with the seed (cypselae) description adapted from Webb & Simpson (2001).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Olearia ilicifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/olearia-ilicifolia/ (Date website was queried)