Olearia virgata
Common names
twiggy tree daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Small tree with many thin often interlacing square twigs bearing clusters of oval leaves that are white underneath inhabiting open sites and scrubland from the Waikato south to northern Westland. Tree often yellowish-green in appearance. Flowers small, white, in tight clusters.
Distribution
Endemic. North, South and Stewart Islands. From Ohinemuri and the Whangamarino Swamp south to Wellington. In the South Island from Marlborough Sounds west until Fiordland.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Eurybia virgata Hook.f., Olearia aggregata Colenso, Olearia parvifolia Colenso, Olearia virgata var. serpentina (G.Simpson) Allan; Olearia serpentina (G.Simpson) Allan; Olearia virgata var. virgata Hook.f.; Olearia virgata var. implicita G.Simpson; Olearia ramuliflora Colenso, Olearia virgata var. ramuliflora (Colenso) Kirk, Olearia laxiflora Kirk, Olearia virgata var. laxiflora (Kirk) Allan, Olearia divaricata Cockayne, Olearia virgata subsp. centralis Heads
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
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]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (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
virgata: Twiggy
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.
OLEVIR
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened