Scutellaria novae-zelandiae
Common names
New Zealand skullcap, shovel mint
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Small, creeping, perennial herb forming diffuse patches on forest floor. All parts puberulent to glabrate. Main stems woody at base, creeping, square in cross-section, dark purple-red, maroon to almost balck. Branches sparse to many, spreading, sub-erect to erect. Leaves in distant pairs. Petioles 2-20 mm long, slender, dark purple to purple-black. Lamina 3-13 x 2-16 mm, dark green above, pink to purple underneath, ovate, suborbicular to reniform, membranous, entire or 3-5-toothed or lobed, apex obtuse to rounded, base rounded to subcordate or cordate; lamina surface usually glabrate with hairs restricted to veins on leaf undersides, sometimes entirely glabrous; undersides finely dotted with small spherical glands. Flowers single in leaf axils, white. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, < petioles. Bracts subulate. Calyx 2.5-3.5 mm long, puberulent; scale enlarging until at least 1.5 mm long at anthesis. Corolla 6-11 mm long to apex of lower lip, hairy; tube 4-6 mm long, straight, broadening toward apex; lower lip > upper lip, middle lobe broad, rounded, upper lip deeply lobed and rounded. Nutlets 1-1.3 mm long, dark brown, surface granular.
Similar taxa
A distinctive species. The white helmet-shaped flowers and small shovel-shaped seeds readily distinguish it from all other indigenous herbaceous plants. It could be confused with the naturalised S. minor Hudson, but that species has linear to lanceolate, entire mid to upper stem leaves (rather than broad-ovate, suborbicular to reniform, lobed to toothed leaves), and pink rather than white flowers.
Distribution
Northern South Island, particularly in the west.
Habitat
Free draining, alluvial matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia (Sol. ex D.Don) de Laub.), black beech (Nothofagus solandri (Hook.f. Oerst.), and totara (Podocarpus totara (G.Benn.) ex D.Don var. totara) forest.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: Sp, CD, RR
Threats
Threatened mainly from weeds, which overshadow plants, smother and outcompete them. Some populations have been browsed by goats and cattle.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Lamiaceae
Synonyms
Scutellaria humilis Hook.f. non R.Br.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
August to March (but sporadic flowering may occur throughout the year)
Fruiting
August to March (but sporadic fruiting may occur throughout the year)
Propagation technique
Easily grown from cuttings, divisions of whole plants and seed. An excellent ground cover for semi-shaded free-draining to permanently damp, fertile soils.
Other information
Etymology
novae-zelandiae: Of New Zealand
Chromosome number
2n = 60
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, RR
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: EF, RR
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: EF, RR
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Christchurch, Canterbury University Press. 471 pp.
Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 1 November 2009. Description adapted from Webb et al. (1988) and de Lange et al. (2010).
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.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Scutellaria novae-zelandiae Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/scutellaria-novae-zelandiae/ (Date website was queried)