Ranunculus kirkii
Synonyms
None
Family
Ranunculaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
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.
RANKIR
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.
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. Stewart Island.
Habitat
Lowland to alpine in damp ground amongst scrub and tussock grassland.
Features
Non rhizomatous, tufted perennial herb up to 250 mm tall. Roots numerous, fleshy. Leaves mainly in a loose rosette, ternate; leaflets petiolules short, 5-25 mm diameter, divided to about 1/2 or more into 3 crenate or bluntly toothed lobes, hairy or glabrescent. Flowers 1-3 per stem, 8-18 mm diameter; pedicels conspicuous, covered within long appressed, sericeous hairs. Sepals spreading, sericeous hairy. petals 5, 2-4 x 0.9-1.2 mm, yellow, narrowly obovate; nectary single, 2 mm from petal base, covered by a small roudned scale. Receptacle hairy. Achenes 10-15, 2.5-3.4 mm long, flattened, glaborous, with a broad body; beak straight or curved, 0.5-1 mm long.
Similar taxa
Recognised by the 1-ternate leaves with ternatifid stalked (petiolules) leaflets. Morphologically perhaps closest to R. brevis which differs by its 2-ternatifid leaves with linear to linear-lanceolate lobes.
Flowering
October - February
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
December - May
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
Not threatened. Listed only because it is a narrow-range endemic.
Etymology
ranunculus: From the Latin ‘rana’ frog, meaning little frog and probably refers to the plants typical marshy habit where frogs abound
kirkii: After Thomas Kirk (18 January 1828 - 8 March 1898), a NZ botanist and lecturer in natural sciences and regarded as a leader of botanical enquiry in NZ for over three decades. One of his most significant publications was Forest flora of NZ (1889) but he also contributed over 130 papers to the Transactions and Proceedings of the NZ Institute and other journals.
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (1 June 2013)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Ranunculus kirkii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/ranunculus-kirkii/ (Date website was queried)