Pomaderris phylicifolia subsp. phylicifolia
Synonyms
Pomaderris polifolia Reiss. et F.Muell., P. phylicifolia var. polifolia (Reiss, et F.Muell.) L.B.Moore, Pomaderris ericifolia Hook.
Family
Rhamnaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs
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.
POMPHY
Chromosome number
2n = 48
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.
2018 | Threatened – Nationally Critical
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: EF, SO
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: SO
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered
Brief description
Locally very common small shrub to 1.5m tall with hairy twigs bearing masses of small narrow wrinkled leaves and clusters of white flowers. Leaves 10-30mm long by 3-10mm wide, margins inrolled, underside fuzzy. Fruit dry, small.
Distribution
Indigenous. North Island. Historically known from Northland to the northern Waikato. Still present in Te Paki, near Te Kao and in scattered sites south to near Orewa. In Australia known from Victoria and southern New South Wales.
Habitat
Mainly coastal, nutrient poor, open sites amongst manuka and sedges, clay banks and roadsides. This plant is a naturally short-lived, early coloniser of slips and disturbed areas.
Features
Compactly much-branched, spreading shrub up to 1.5 × 2.0 m. Young stems, buds, and leaves usually densely invested in long, spreading greyish-white to white hairs, rarely ± or completely glabrous. Leaves 10–30 × 4–20 mm, dark green above, white to grey-green below, narrow-oblong, narrow-ovate, oblanceolate, to cymbiform, deeply grooved at midrib, margins entire, initially flat but becoming recurved at maturity (though not so as to obscure lower surface); upper surface weakly rugulose, initially with dense covering of bristly simple hairs becoming glabrescent or glabrous; undersides except for midrib and secondary veins densely tomentose, midrib and secondary veins ± visible, hairs on midribs simple, those between stellate. Inflorescences in short axillary cymes aggregated, forming narrow terminal panicles. Buds grey-green to brown-grey, ovoid; pedicels 2.5 mm long. Flowers pale yellow, 4–5 mm diameter; calyx-tube covered in fine indumentum through which is mixed numerous long straight hairs; sepals c. 2 mm long, not persistent in fruit; petals mostly absent, rarely present as petaloid staminal filaments; stamens 2 mm long; style divided almost to base. Capsule 4 mm long, immersed up to ⅓ of its length in calyx–tube; operculum covering most of the inner coccus face; seeds c. 2.2 × 1.6 mm, dark–brown, surface glossy.
Similar taxa
Pomaderris amoena Colenso (which has usually been known in New Zealand as P. ericifolia Hook. P. phylicifolia var. ericifolia (Hook.) L.B.Moore, though that taxon has a different Australian type and is not found here), has a different chromosome number (2n = 36) to P. phylicifolia (2n = 48), and has leaves which are usually less than 10 mm long and recurved almost to the midrib.
Flowering
October to November.
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
November to January.
Propagation technique
Can be grown from fresh seed, semi-hardwood cuttings and layered pieces but often difficult. Does best in nutrient poor, open, sunny situations without surrounding shrubs. An attractive shrub which should be more widely grown
Threats
Use of herbicides along roadsides and goat browsing are the main causes of decline. Also, habitat loss through succession, causing shading as a canopy develops.
Etymology
pomaderris: Lid skin
phylicifolia: After phylica, a South African shrub
Notes on taxonomy
The Flora of New Zealand Vol. I records this species (as P. phylicifolia var. polifolia) from David Island [sic] in the Noisies group. That record is based on a specimen that was most probably collected from Spirits Bay, Northland, and accidentally mislabelled as to locality (P. J. de Lange pers. comm.). There are no species of Pomaderris present on the David Rocks.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 November 2009). Description by P.J. de Lange subsequently published in de Lange et al (2010).
References and further reading
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
Citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pomaderris phylicifolia subsp. phylicifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pomaderris-phylicifolia-subsp-phylicifolia/ (Date website was queried)