Pimelea eremitica
Common name
Roimata o Tohe, Pimelea
Synonyms
None (first described in 2009)
Family
Thymelaeaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: OL
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Data Deficient
2004 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Low growing sprawling shrub to 40cm tall with greyish-hairy thin flexible twigs bearing small narrow blue-green leaves, hairy white flowers and whiteish fruit inhabiting Maunganui Bluff in Northland. Leaves 4-6mm long by 1.5-2mm wide, with a glistening under surface.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island: Maunganui Bluff
Habitat
Coastal. On the exposed summit of a large basaltic outcrop growing in short exotic grassland and low shrubs amongst basalt boulders
Features
A small to medium-sized, erect to suberect shrub, up to 400 mm tall, branching sympodially and with many erect, thin lateral branches. Young branchlets light brown, moderately densely covered with white to grey-white appressed hair. Internodes 1.0–1.5 mm. Older stems glabrate to hairless, brown to dark grey. Node buttresses usually short (0.2 mm), lunate, sometimes elongate masked by hair on young branchlets, small but moderately prominent on some leafless branchlets. Leaves decussate, ascendant, becoming patent on larger plants, on short (0.5–1 mm) red petioles, often persistent. Lamina slightly keeled, moderately stiff, 4–6 × 1.5–2 mm, elliptic, glabrous, medium-green, sometimes red-margined, midvein evident abaxially, but not prominent; acute, but blunt tipped, base cuneate. Stomata present on adaxial side only. Abaxial surface glistens. Inflorescences terminal on leading stems, 1–5-flowered, involucral bracts 4, similar in size to adjacent leaves or wider (7 × 3.5 mm). Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white, on very short pedicels (0.3 mm), circumscissile near base, outside of tube and calyx lobes moderately hairy, inside hairless. Female tube 3 mm long, ovary portion 2.6 mm, calyx lobes (ascendant) 2 × 1 mm; hermaphrodite tube 6 mm long, ovary portion 2.5 mm, calyx lobes 3.5× 2.5 mm. Anther dehiscence semi-latrorse. Ovary with short hairs at summit and a few down to base. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, white with pink flush, opaque 4 × 2.7 mm. Seeds 3 × 1.8 mm.
Similar taxa
Pimelea eremitica is allied to P. telura and P. sporadica. From P. telura is differs by its smaller stature (plants up to 400 mm cf. 1.0 m tall) and smaller leaves whose undersides that are adaxially concave or keeled. From P. sporadica it differs by the thinner (up to 2.5 mm c.f 4.0 mm thick), flexible, sympodial and ascendant lateral stems, strong keeled rather than adaxially concave or keeled leaves and pinkish rather than white fruits. Pimelea telura is confined to the Three Kings, P. sporadica North Cape and Cape Brett, Bay of Islands, near Maunganui Bluff and at Hicks Bay (East Cape). Pimelea eremitica is known only from Maunganui Bluff.
Flowering
October - February
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
November - May
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
Previously listed by de Lange et al (2009) in Appendix 2, under the informal name Pimelea (f) (AK 189577; Maunganui Bluff) (OL - One Location)) as taxonomically Indeterminate / Data Deficient. Burrows (2009) states that the single population is of limited size making the future of this species precarious. Cultivation, planting-out, and cautious management to increase numbers are desirable. During September 2010 the Department of Conservation together with Te Rorowa who maintain mana whenua over Maunganui Bluff undertook a survey and found 24 plants in a single site which is threatened by goats. As such this species qualifies as Nationally Critical, a status it should obtain when the next threat listing is undertaken.
Etymology
pimelea: Pimeleoides means “resembling Pimelea’’, a genus in the family Thymelaeaceae (Greek, -oides = resembling, like).
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (30 August 2009). Description adapted from Burrows (2009).
References and further reading
Burrows, C.J. 2009: Genus Pimelea (Thymelaeaceae) in New Zealand 2. The endemic Pimelea prostrata and Pimelea urvilliana species complexes. New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 163–229.
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61-96.
Citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pimelea eremitica Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pimelea-eremitica/ (Date website was queried)