Raoulia cinerea
Synonyms
None (first described in 1913)
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous 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.
RAOCIN
Chromosome number
2n = 28
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) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. 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. 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: RR, Sp
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, mountains at the head of the Awatere River.
Habitat
Alpine in loose shingle, scree and sparsely vegetated rock pavement and fellfield.
Detailed description
Stock rather woody, stems rather closely branched, branchlets ascending, forming flat patches. Leaves closely imbricate, 3-nerved, ascending, incurved at tips, 5-7 mm long, linear, acuminate; basal portion membranous, c.1 mm wide, clad in loose tomentum; apical portion densely clad in appressed white tomentum, margins slightly revolute. Capitula up to 5 mm diameter; inner involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, acute, scarious, yellowish; apices pale brown, more or less pilose on back. Achenes hardly 1 mm long, narrow-oblong, glabrous to puberulous; pappus-hairs up to 5 mm long–some flattened towards base, others terete, all slender, not or hardly thickened at apex.
Flowering
December – January
Fruiting
January – March
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
A local, narrow range endemic, but common within its preferred habitat.
Etymology
raoulia: Named after Étienne Fiacre Louis Raoul (23 July 1815–30 March 1852) who was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. He published a book Choix de plantes de la Nouvelle-Zélande (“Selected plants of New Zealand”) in 1846. The genus was named after him by Joseph Hooker.
cinerea: Ash-grey
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961).
References and further reading
Allan H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Volume I. Government Printer, Wellington.
Manaaki Whenua/Landcare Research 2022: eFlora webpage for Raoulia cinerea. https://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Raoulia-cinerea.html. Date accessed: 16 April 2022.