Pomaderris phylicifolia subsp. phylicifolia
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Locally very common small shrub to 1.5 m tall with hairy twigs bearing masses of small narrow wrinkled leaves and clusters of white flowers. Leaves 10–30 mm long by 3–10 mm wide, margins inrolled, underside fuzzy. Fruit dry, small.
Flower colours
Yellow
Detailed description
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. or 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.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (historically known from Northland to northern Waikato. Still present in Te Paki, near Te Kao and in scattered sites south to near Orewa). Australia (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.
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, EF, SO
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.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Pomaderris polifolia Reiss. et F.Muell., P. phylicifolia var. polifolia (Reiss, et F.Muell.) L.B.Moore, Pomaderris ericifolia Hook.
Taxonomic notes
The Flora of New Zealand Vol. I records this species (as P. phylicifolia var. polifolia) from David Island [sic] in the Noises group. That record is based on a specimen that was most probably collected from Piwhane / 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.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–November.
Fruiting
November–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
Other information
Plant of the Month
This plant has been featured as a Plant of the Month – see Trilepidea: NZPCN newsletter for May 2023 for the full story.
Etymology
pomaderris: Lid skin
phylicifolia: After phylica, a South African shrub
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
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, EF, SO
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: EF, SO
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: SO
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Extirpated
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange PJ, Heenan PB, Norton DA, Rolfe JR, Sawyer JWD. 2010. Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. 471 p.
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).
NZPCN Fact Sheet 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)