Raoulia eximia
Common name
vegetable sheep
Synonyms
Haastia greenii Hook.f.; Psychrophyton eximium Beauverd
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.
RAOEXI
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). 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 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. South Island - mostly east of the main divide from Marlborough to northern Southland
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine. In rocky ground such as scree and talus slopes, cliff faces and boulder falls and in fellfield
Features
Stock very stout, woody; branches woody below, very densely compacted, forming rounded cushions up to 1 m or more diameter, up to 1 m tall. Leaves densely imbricate, 3.0-4.0 × up to 1.5 mm, 1-nerved, obovate- to oblong-spathulate to narrow-oblong, rounded at apex; apical portion on both surfaces with dense brush of long straight hairs exceeding and obscuring outline of lamina; ventral surface glabrous below; dorsal surface clad in ascending straight hairs. Capitula c.3 mm diameter. Inner series of involucral bracts linear, 3-4 mm long, scarious on margins, pilose in upper portion, tips not white, not radiating. Florets 10-15 or more. Achenes hardly 1 mm long, clad in long silky hairs; pappus-hairs rigid
Flowering
November - January
Fruiting
January - April
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild
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.
eximia: Strikingly unusual
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961).
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Government Printer, Wellington.