Pseudopanax kermadecensis
Common names
Kermadec five finger
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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: CD, IE
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Tree bearing leaves that have usually seven thin pointed leaflets radiating out from the tip of a long stalk inhabiting Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands. Leaflets 10-15cm long. Flowers in clusters on wide-angled stalks. Fruits flattened, with small cap.
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Small multi-branched tree to 10 m tall, branchlets brittle, trunk to 1 m diam. Leaves alternate, leaflets 5-8 (us. 7), palmate, on short petiolules. Petiole to 15 cm long, sheathing branchlet at base. Petiolule of terminal leaflet obvious, of lateral leaflets shorter or subsessile. Leaflets elliptic to elliptic-ovate, membranous, greenish grey above, paler below, margin bluntly dentate-serrate in distal half or entire, obliquely cuneately narrowing to petiolule, acute; midveins and main lateral veins obvious above and below; teminal lamina 10-15 x 3.5-7 cm, lateral leaflets smaller. Inflorescence a terminal, compound, compact umbel; primary rays (branchlets) c. 8, 4 cm long; secondary rays 8-12, 2-3 cm long. Male flowers to 1 cm diam., pale yellowish green; petals acute; anthers cream, filaments > petal. Ovary 2-loculed, each containing 1 ovules; style branches 2, spreading. Fruit fleshy, purple, c. 5 mm diam., laterally compressed, style branches retained on an apical disc. 2 Seeds per fruit, broadly-ovate or oblong, wrinkled, 3.5-4.2 mm long.
Similar taxa
Similar to Pseudopanax arboreus, but in that species the leaves are darker green with coarse teeth around all the margin and with a more open inflorescence. It also typically has 5 leaflets. The natural distribution of these two species does not overlap.
Distribution
Endemic. Kermadec Islands, Raoul Island
Habitat
Coastal to main summit ridges and crater rim in both dry and wet forest types. However, Kermadec five finger is mostly found in the wet forest type (> 230 m a.s.l.) on Raoul Island, where it forms part of the subcanopy in Metrosideros-dominated forest with Coprosma acutifolia and Ascarina lucida var. lanceolata. In some places, such as the exposed ridge lines leading from Moumoukai to Mahoe it may form a major part of the forest canopy.
Threats
Listed only because it is a local, narrow-range endemic confined to a single island within the Kermadec island group. Prior to the successful goat eradication, this species was extremely uncommon and easily qualified as threatened. Since the last goat was shot on the island in 1983 this species has made a spectacular recovery and it is now abundant throughout the island.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Nothopanax kermadecensis W.R.B.Oliv., Neopanax kermadecensis (W.R.B.Oliv.) Phillipson Pseudopanax arboreus var. kermadecensis (W.R.B.Oliv.) Sykes
Taxonomic notes
This species was transferred back to Neopanax Allan by: Frodin, D.G.; Govaerts, R. 2003: World Checklist and Bibliography of Araliaceae, The Cromwell Press, European Union. Phylogenetic studies reveal that Kermadec five finger is nested within the New Zealand five finger (P. arboreus). Despite that finding both species are amply distinct from each other.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
February - August
Fruiting
March - February
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and semi-hardwood cuttings. Although frost-tender this species has been successfully cultivated as far south as Wellington (Petone). Like most other species in the genus it is very fast growing, and inclined to be short-lived. Plants do best in semi-shade, planted in a free draining, moist soil. Like many of the species in this genus Kermadec five finger is prone to phytophora and verticillium wilt.
Other information
Etymology
pseudopanax: False cure
kermadecensis: From the Kermadec Islands
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.
PSEKER
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: CD, IE
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CD, IE
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RC, OL, IE
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Sykes, W.R. 1993. Reinstatement of Pseudopanax kermadecensis (W.R.B.Oliv.) Philipson (Araliaceae)
Allan, H.H. 1961. Flora of NZ, Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington, Eagle, A. 2000. Eagle’s complete trees and shrubs of NZ. Te Papa Press, Wellington
Webb, C.J. & Simpson, M.J.A. 2001. Seeds of NZ gymnosperms and dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch.
Attribution
Description adapted from Sykes (1993), 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.