Scaevola gracilis
Common names
Scaevola
Biostatus
Native
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: RR, SO?
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Creeping, prostrate to suberect, semi-woody shrub forming patches up to 2 × 1 m. Branches widely spreading, clad in long silky hairs; branchlets slightly zigzag, hairs long, silky, ± appressed. Leaves on pilose, dark green to red-green flattened petioles up to 25 mm long, axils villous. Lamina 20-90 × 10-35 mm long, obliquely lanceolate-oblong to obovate, base narrowly cuneate, apex acute, upper ½ - 1/3 serrate-dentate; dark green to yellow green, sometimes reddish green or streaked with red, silky-hairy. Flowers usually solitary, subsessile, up to 25 mm across, faintly fragrant. Calyx cupular, indistinctly lobed. Corolla white with yellow throat; tube short, villous; lobes narrow-oblong, mucronate. Stamens < tube; style pilose; pollen-cup with fimbriate margins. Drupe white, fleshy, 10.0-10.5 × 8.0-10.5 mm, ovoid to subglobose. Seeds compressed, c.3 mm. long
Similar taxa
None.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: Kermadec Islands group (Raoul and Macauley Islands). Also present on the Ha”apai Group (Kao and Tofua) in the northern Tonga Group
Habitat
Coastal to lowland. A primary coloniser of bare rock, boulder field, sand dunes, talus slopes and cliff faces - also growing around active fumaroles.
Threats
A naturally uncommon species confined in the New Zealand Botanical Region to the Kermadec Islands, where it is locally abundant.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Scaevola porrecta A.C.Sm.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Throughout the year
Fruiting
Throughout the year
Propagation technique
Easily grown from semi-hardwood cuttings and fresh seed. Plants can be induced to layer. An attractive ground cover for a sunny, well drained soil. Excellent as in a hanging basket or tub. Cold sensitive.
Other information
Etymology
gracilis: Slender
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: RR, SO?
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL, TO
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan HH. 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume I. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 1085
Attribution
Description modified from Allan (1961).
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.