Pimelea longifolia
Common names
long-leaved pimelea
Synonyms
Passerina longifolia Sol. ex Thunb.
Family
Thymelaeaceae
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.
PIMLON
Chromosome number
2n = 36
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) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. 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. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: PD
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: PD
2009 | Data Deficient
2004 | Not Threatened
Simplified description
Shrub to 2m tall with reddish twigs bearing pairs of bright green pointed leaves and hairy white flowers inhabiting lowland areas from Auckland to Greymouth. Leaves 40-110mm long by 10-22mm wide. Flowers to 10mm long. Fruit dry, enclosing black seed.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: Great Barrier, North (Coromandel Peninsula, Auckland, Kaimai Range, East Cape, Te Urewera and Tararua Ranges) and South Islands (Durville Island, Marlborough Sounds, north-west Nelson, Buller and Paparoa Ranges)
Habitat
Coastal to montane. Usually in open sites in forest, on forest margins and in scrub; on or near rock outcrops (especially base-rich rock such as limestone and basalt – but also on acidic rocks such as rhyolite).
Detailed description
A much-branched, erect shrub up to 2 m tall. Branches and branchlets ascending, glabrous except at leaf axils and on receptacles. Node buttresses occupy whole internode, smooth, brown, sometimes prominent after leaf fall on small specimens; internodes 8–14 mm long. Bark ages to grey. Leaves decussate, in distant opposite pairs, ascending to patent or deflexed, on petioles 3–5 mm long. Lamina medium green, yellow-green to dark green, stiff, somewhat leathery, very variable in size and shape on the same plant; largest 40–110 × 10–22 mm, elliptic or ovate, sometimes obovate, oblong or lanceolate; flat, acuminate, base cuneate. Margins slightly thickened and down-turned; midvein prominent abaxially, sunken above; lateral vein pattern camptodromus; stomata on undersides only. Inflorescences many-flowered; pedicels 1–2 mm long, persistent. Involucral bracts four, smaller than or sometimes the same size as largest ordinary leaves (20–40 × 8–10 mm). Plants gynodioecious. Flowers hairy on outside; inside hairless; fragrant, white, flushed rose or completely pink, lower tube often red. Calyx lobes open in salverform fashion. Female tube to 10 mm long, ovary portion 4 mm, calyx lobes 3.2 × 1.8 mm; staminodes short, at mouth of tube. Female tube to 15 mm long, ovary portion 3.5 mm, calyx lobes 5 × 2.5 mm. Anther filaments long, inserted at mouth of tube; anthers yellow. Ovary densely hairy at summit. Fruits ovoid, green, drying brown, 5 mm long. Seeds narrow ovoid, 4.0 ×1.8 mm. Dried hypanthia persistant often dispersing with fruits inside.
Similar taxa
Very close to P. gnidia (it could be considered as a mostly lowland form of that species) from which it differs by its longer leaves, longer flowers and preference for mostly coastal to lowland habitats. Pimelea gnidia is only coastal in the southern part of its range where P. longifolia is not known. Both species are said to frequently hybridise (see Burrows 2008).
Flowering
September - April
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Fruiting
November - June
Propagation technique
Fickle. Can be grown from cuttings, and occasionally seed germinates in garden conditions. Does best in full sun on a well drained soil. However, even well established plants are prone to sudden collapse.
Etymology
pimelea: Pimeleoides means “resembling Pimelea’’, a genus in the family Thymelaeaceae (Greek, -oides = resembling, like).
longifolia: Long leaf
Attribution
Description based on Burrows (2008).