Ozothamnus vauvilliersii
Common name
Mountain tauhinu
Family
Asteraceae
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.
OZOVAU
Chromosome number
2n = 26-28
Current conservation status
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
Yellow-green bushy shrub with short (3-10mm long) oval leaves inhabiting open areas and disturbed sites. Flowers white, body of papery scales, in tight clusters at tip of branches. Seeds fuzzy.
Distribution
North, South, Stewart, and Auckland Islands. Found throughout in suitable habitat.
Habitat
Lowland to montane or lower subalpine shrubland and grassland.
Features
Shrub up to 3 m tall. Branchlets rather stout, furrowed, more or less glutinous, clad in fulvous tomentum. Leaves 5-12 x 2-3 mm, finally spreading from erect petioles, coriaceous, becoming glabrous above, clad in fulvous tomentum below, linear-spathulate to narrow oblong-obovate, margins slightly revolute, midrib prominent below. Capitula 10-20 or more, in dense corymbs, pedicels short. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, outer tomentose on back, inner with white radiating tips; forming a turbinate involucre approximately 4 mm long. Scales of receptacle numerous, white-tipped; florets 8-15; achenes hardly 1 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; pappus-hairs up to 4.5 mm long, distinctly thickened at tips.
Similar taxa
Ozothamnus leptophylla has leaves of linear order, not or hardly widened above middle.
Olearia solandri has leaves opposite or in opposite clusters, young branchlets square in cross-section, and white daisies borne along the leafy shoots.
Olearia nummulariifolia has stiffer, broader leaves, and white daisies borne behind the leafy shoot tip. Olearia cymbifolia has stiff leaves with margins rolled down almost to the midrib, and flowers like Olearia nummulariifolia.
Brachyglottis cassinioides has leaves whitish green above, white beneath, with margins slightly toothed on shaded shoots, and bright yellow daisy flowers.
Flowering
December-May (-August)
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
February-June (-September)
Etymology
ozothamnus: from the Greek ‘ozo’ meaning to smell and ‘thamnos’ meaning shrub; alluding to the fragrant foliage when crushed.
vauvilliersii: After Vauvilliers
TAXONOMIC NOTES
It is debatable whether Ozothamnus vauvilliersii is an entity worthy of species level recognition, or just an extent of the variation of Ozothamnus leptophylla (See notes below that species).
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961) and Wilson & Galloway (1993).
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 726-728.
Wilson, H. D., & Galloway, T. 1993. Small-leaved shrubs of New Zealand. Manuka Press. pg. 204-205.