Pimelea prostrata subsp. seismica
Common names
pinātoro
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low growing shrub with branches that are densely hairy towards the tip and bearing pairs of blue-green narrow leaves that which join the stem at a small bump, hairy white flowers and white fruit inhabiting the North Island and Northwest Nelson. Leaves 4-8mm long by 2.2-3.2mm wide.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
A small to medium-sized, much-branched, prostrate, sometimes decumbent, low shrub. Main stems to 40 cm long, stout, flexible or stiff. Young stems brown, moderately or very hairy. Branching is both sympodial and lateral and the laterals are few to numerous, long, usually flexible and moderately thick. Internodes 1–5 mm long. Older stems glabrous and grey-brown to dark-brown. Node buttresses usually short (0.3 mm) lunate, brown. More elongate node buttresses may occur on the same plants. They are not prominent on leafless stems. Leaves ascendant, then patent to deflexed, on short (0.3–0.5 mm) red petioles. Lamina ovate, elliptic or often oblong, 4–8 × 2.2–3.2 mm, light green, glaucous, acute or sometimes obtuse, flat or slightly adaxially concave, margins slightly upturned, midvein evident abaxially. Inflorescences terminal on branchlets, 4–6-flowered. Involucral bracts 4, smaller than, or similar in size to adjacent leaves (5 × 3 mm). Flowers white, moderately hairy outside; inside hairless. Female tube 3.5 mm long, ovary portion 3 mm, calyx lobes 1.3 × 0.9 mm; Perfect flower tube 4 mm long, ovary portion 3 mm, calyx lobes 2 × 1 mm. Ovary has sparse hair on summit and to about two-thirds of the way down. Fruits oblate, white, opaque 5.4 × 4 mm. Seeds broad ovoid 2.2 × 1.6 mm.
Similar taxa
Plants of the Pimelea prostrata complex are distinguished by the prostrate to decumbent growth habit; by the glabrous to sparse or moderate hair covering on young stem internodes and by the thin and pliable, completely glabrous leaves with stomata clearly visible on both leaf surfaces. Pimelea prostrata subsp. seismica is distinguished from subsp. prostrata, subsp. thermalis, subsp. ventosa and subsp. vulcanica by the lunate node buttresses; relatively densely hairy young stems that become smooth and glabrous with age, and acute leaves.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island: North Cape and near Cape Reinga, scattered along the west coast of the North Island to Auckland, Wellington. South Island: North-west to as far south as Cape Foulwind.
Habitat
Coastal to slightly inland. In open sites on grassy slopes and in shrublands or dunes, on cliffs or rock outcrops.
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
Threats
Unknown. Burrows (2009) implies it is severely threatened but without any backing evidence. In future threat listings subsp. seismica would probably be assigned Data Deficient.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Thymelaeaceae
Synonyms
None (first described in 2009)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October - January
Fruiting
December - May
Propagation technique
Easily grown from semi-hardwood cuttings and rooted pieces. Seed is difficult to germinate. Best grown in a well drained soil in full sun. An excellent plant for the rockery.
Other information
Etymology
pimelea: Pimeleoides means “resembling Pimelea’’, a genus in the family Thymelaeaceae (Greek, -oides = resembling, like).
prostrata: Prostrate
Chromosome number
2n = 36
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Data Deficient
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
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, 2009, Vol. 47: 163–229
Attribution
Description from: Burrows (2009).