Raoulia mammillaris
Common name
vegetable sheep
Synonyms
Psychrophyton mammillare 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.
RAOMAM
Chromosome number
2n = 28
Current conservation status
The threat classification 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. 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. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. South Island - mostly east of the main divide and centred on Canterbury
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine. On rocks, talus and scree and sparsely vegetated fellfield.
Features
Stock stout, woody; branches densely compacted, woody at base, forming hard rounded cushions up to 500 mm diameter. Leaves densely imbricate, c. 3-4 × 1 mm, obovate-spathulate, rounded at apex; basal portion glabrous on ventral surface, clad in floccose hairs on dorsal surface below apex; apical portion clad on both surfaces in straight ascending hairs but little exceeding lamina-apex. Capitula up to 6.5 mm diameter, inner series of involucral bracts c.4 mm long, narrow-oblong, margins scarious; tips obtuse, white, radiating. Florets 10-12. Achenes up to 1.25 mm long, clad in long silky hairs; pappus-hairs c.3 mm long, rigid
Flowering
November - January
Fruiting
December - 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.
mammillaris: Teat bearing
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.