Pimelea hirta
Common names
pimelea
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: CR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Shrub with sprawling hairy dark twigs to 40cm long bearing pairs of small pointed leaves that are inconspicuously hairy underneath and hairy white flowers and red fruit inhabiting upland areas of the East Cape and Kaweka to Ruahine Ranges. Leaves 6-9mm long by 2.5-5mm wide.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
A robust, much-branched procumbent to decumbent shrub with stems up to 400 mm long. Branching sympodial and lateral. Young stems brown, with a moderately dense cover of long, dull-white hairs; internodes 1-3 mm long. Older stems glabrous, dark brown to black. Node buttresses lunate, 0.2 mm long, smooth, brown, masked by hairs on young stems, not very prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, ascending and loosely imbricate to patent, on short, dark red petioles (0.3 mm). Lamina 6.0-9.0 × 2.5-5.0 mm, medium green, elliptic to broad-elliptic, or broad-ovate or oblong slightly adaxially concave to keeled, mid-vein evident, sunken adaxially; tip acute; base cuneate; abaxial surface moderately sparsely covered by dull white, relatively long, straight (rarely curled) hairs; stomata on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, loose, 4-7-flowered. Involucral bracts 4, similar in size to ordinary leaves or larger (6-3 mm). Receptacle moderately densely hairy. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white on short (0.8 mm) pedicels, very hairy outside, inside hairless. Female tube 5 mm long, ovary portion wrinkled, 2 mm, calyx lobes 1.9 × 1.1 mm; hermaphrodite tube 6 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 2.8 × 2.0 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary with a few short hairs at summit. Fruits red, ovoid, fleshy 4.0 × 2.7 mm. Seeds ovoid, 3.5 × 2.0 mm, crest thin.
Similar taxa
Potentially confused in the field with Pimelea oreophila subsp. ephaistica from which it differs by its larger overall stature and leaves, and by the obviously longer, denser abaxial leaf hairs.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Raukumara, Maungaharuru, Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges)
Habitat
Alpine. Usually on limestone outcrops but a component of tall tussock grassland and subalpine scrub
Threats
Pimelea hirta is newly described that has not been recognised by an informal tag name previously. Therefore this species has not been formally listed by the New Zealand Threat Listing Panel (see de Lange et al. 2009). However Burrows (2011) did not use the New Zealand Threat Listing Classification System (see Townsend et al. 2008) in his conservation assessment, and his comments, unquantified as they are suggest that the best course of action is to list this species as “Data Deficient” until such time as better data is obtained, and the species can be assessed by an appropriate threat listing panel.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None (first described in 2011)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - February
Fruiting
Unknown
Propagation technique
Unknown. Probably easily grown from semi-hard and hardwood cuttings.
Other information
Etymology
pimelea: from Greek pimelē, meaning “lard” or “soft fat,” presumably referring to the oily seeds or fleshy cotyledons.
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 | Data Deficient
2012 | Data Deficient
2009 | Data Deficient
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Burrows, C.J. 2011: Genus Pimelea (Thymelaeaceae) in New Zealand 4. The taxonomic treatment of ten endemic abaxially hairy-leaved species. New Zealand Journal of Botany 49: 41–106.
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.
Townsend, A.J.; de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Molloy, J.; Miskelly, C.; Duffy, C. 2008: The New Zealand Threat Classification System manual. Wellington, Department of Conservation
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange (1 May 2011). Description adapted from Burrows (2011).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pimelea hirta Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pimelea-hirta/ (Date website was queried)