Pseudopanax gilliesii
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Small tree with a mix of single or 3 leathery leaflets on stalks that become much longer in the lower part of the twigs.
Flower colours
Green
Detailed description
Shrubby much-branched small tree to 5 m tall; branchlets slender, fleshy, brittle, light green to purpled; bark pale brown, lenticels prominent. Leaves alternate, unifoliate intermixed with trifoliate or irregularly lobed leaves; Petioles 2-8 cm long; lamina coriaceous, glossy green above, paler green below, c. 4-8 cm long, ovate, acute to acuminate, sharply serrate, on long slender petioles to 14 cm long in lower part of branchlet, trifoliate leaflets sessile or on very short petiolule; midvein prominent, lateral veins obvious. Inflorescence a terminal umbel; primary rays 3-6, c. 8 cm long, flowers racemosely arranged. Ovary 5-loculed, each containing 1 ovule (some aborted); style branches 5, connate. Fruit fleshy, subglobose, 6 x 5 mm, style branches retained on an apical disc, dark purple when ripe. Seeds 5 per fruit, narrowly ovate, 5.5-6.5 mm long.
Similar taxa
Most similar to Pseudopanax discolor from which it differs by the alternating whorls of unifoliolate to trifoliolate rather than 5-foliolate leaves, which are much thicker, more finely serrated and usually uniformly dark green to light green rather than gren to yellow green, variously spotted or stained maroon. Aside from these differences the ranges of P. gilliesii and P. discolor don’t overlap. Pseudopanax gilliesii might be confused with P. lessonii, with which it co-occurs. Pseudopanax lessonii is however a taller tree species, with much thicker 5-foliolate or trifoliate leaves with shallower toothing restricted to the distal 3/4 of the lamina.
Distribution
Endemic. Northeastern Northland
Habitat
Coastal or lowland hardwood forest and shrubland
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT, RR
Threats
Probably a species naturally restricted to the northeastern non-basaltic Northland volcanics. Some habitat has been lost in the past to coastal development. Reports of this species occurring on Hauturu o Toi / Little Barrier Island are based on collections of what appears to be Pseudopanax discolor or perhaps a hybrid between that species and P. lessonii. Pseudopanax gilliesii is not found on that island/
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Other information
Etymology
pseudopanax: False cure
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.
PSEGIL
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961. Flora of NZ, Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington
Webb, C.J. & Simpson, M.J.A. 2001. Seeds of NZ gymnosperms and dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch.
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb and Simpson (2001).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pseudopanax gilliesii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pseudopanax-gilliesii/ (Date website was queried)