Spergularia tasmanica
Common names
New Zealand sea spurrey, native sea spurrey
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Detailed description
Perennial with thick, woody rootstock. Branches erect to ± decumbent from base. Leaves 10-60(-80) × 1-2 mm, yellow-green to ± green or reddish green, flattened, mucronate to shortly caudate, glabrous to sparsely glandular-ciliate. Stipules (3-)4-6(-7) mm long, acute to acuminate, sometimes furcate, shortly connate in the inflorescence. Inflorescence lax, densely invested in glandular hairs (0.1-)0.15-0.25(-0.5) mm long. Pedicels much longer than sepals. Sepals 3.0-3.5(-5.0) mm (mostly 4-6 mm long in fruit), ovate-lanceolate; glaucescent, occasionally with dark purple spots at base. Petals c.4 mm long, pink or mauve soon fading to white flushed pink or white. Stamens 5-10. Capsules 6-9 mm long (up to 2 mm longer than sepals), ovoid. Seeds 0.7-0.9(-1.1) mm long, dark grey-brown to jet black, pyriform to orbicular, bluntly to prominently colliculate-papillose, usually all scariously winged (rarely all wingless or some wingless in same capsule), the wing margin centre to erose-denticulate.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from the allied, naturalised S. media by the black or dark grey-brown, colliculate-papillose seeds. Those of S. media are rust-brown and smooth.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand (North, South and Stewart Islands) and Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania)
Habitat
Coastal (rarely inland in lowland saline areas). A locally common, often sparsely distributed species of mudflats (especially the upper Sarcocornia dominated reaches of estuaries), also on consolidated sand, cliff faces and rubble slopes.
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 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Lepigonum tasmanicum Kindb.
Taxonomic notes
Previously this indigenous plant had been known as Spergularia media (L.) C.Presl. Spergularia media is an allied European species which is now considered to be naturalised to Australasia.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
July - June
Fruiting
July - June
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed. Needs full sun and a free draining but moist soil to flourish.
Other information
Etymology
tasmanica: Named after Abel Janzoon Tasman (1603-1659) who in the 17th century was the first European to sight Van Dieman’s land (now known as Tasmania)
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.
SPETAS
Chromosome number
2n = 72
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 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Adams, L.G.; West, J.G.; Cowley, K.J. 2008: Revision of Spergularia (Caryophyllaceae) in Australia. Australian Systematic Botany 21: 251-270. Flora of Australia
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (Updated 8 May 2011). Description adapted from Adams et al. (2008).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Spergularia tasmanica Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/spergularia-tasmanica/ (Date website was queried)