Thyridia repens
Common names
native musk, Māori musk, native monkey flower
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Mat-forming, succulent, perennial herb. All parts glabrous. Stems dark green to red-green, prostrate, sometimes ascending at apices, rooting at nodes. Leaves sessile, amplexicaul, c. 2-8 x 1-6 mm, dark green, brown-green to reddish-green, broadly ovate-oblong, entire, punctuate, somewhat succulent. Flowers on short, ascending branches, solitary in leaf axils; pedicels 2-8 mm long, dark green to pinkish-green. Calyx 2-7 mm long, < corolla tube, broadly funneliform; apex truncate, minutely toothed. Corolla 10-15 mm long, distinctly 2-lipped. light purple, mauve, lilac or white, red-spotted with yellow open throat; lower lip bearded; lobes shallow, broader than long. Capsule 6.5 mm long, broadly cylindric.
Similar taxa
None - the combination of habitat preference, mat-forming growth form, succulent, glabrous, dark green to red-green stems and foliage, and light purple, mauve, lilac or white flowers mark this species out from the three other introduced and yellow-flowered Erythranthe species present in New Zealand.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North and South Islands. Also Australia
Habitat
Strictly coastal. Usually at the back of salt marshes and estuaries, in permanently damp or soggy, saline mud or silt soils in locations that are periodically flooded during high, spring or King tides. Sometimes in dune swales. Intolerant of much competition from taller plants or faster growing mat-forming species.
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: DPS, DPT, EF, PD, RR, SO
Threats
A widespread, naturally uncommon, biologically sparse species. It is most uncommon in the northern North Island becoming progressively more abundant south of the Waikato, although it is still often absent over large parts of the country. In some parts of its range, particularly metropolitan Auckland, populations have been lost through road realignments (where they cross salt marshes e.g., the upper Waitemata Harbour) or through land reclamation. The spread of the aggressive salt grasses (Spartina spp.) and Carex divisa. is also a risk in some parts of its range. Nevertheless, these range contractions are insufficient nationally to justify an upgrade to one of the three threat categories.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Mimulus repens R.Br.; Mimulus colensoi Kirk
Taxonomic notes
Barker et al. (2012) proposed a new classification for Mimulus in which they segregated off a number of genera, including the erection of a monotypic Thyridia W.P.Barker et Beardsley to cover the Australasian species Mimulus repens R.Br. However, many of the characters which were used to segregate that genus are found also in Peplidium Delile and further the molecular support for the generic splits proposed is weak. Therefore until further research is undertaken it seems wise to retain the existing classification for Mimulus.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
September - February
Fruiting
November - May
Propagation technique
Easily grown from rooted pieces, stem cuttings and fresh seed. Very beautiful but tends to be short lived. Needs frequent re-potting to maintain itself and should be grown in full sun in a pot kept partially submerged in water.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
OBL: Obligate Wetland
Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
repens: From Latin repere meaning to creep, means creeping
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.
THYREP
Chromosome number
2n = 20
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: EF, PD, RR, SO, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: EF, RR, SO, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, SO
2004 | Sparse
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 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CI, DPS, DPT, NStr, PF, RR, Sp
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington.
Barker, W.R.; Nesom, G.L.; Beardsley, P.M.; Fraga, N.S.2012: A taxonomic conspectus of Phrymaceae: A narrowed circumscriptions for Mimulus, new and resurrected genera, and new names and combinations. Phytoneuron 1-60.
Gardner, R. 1988. Mimulus repens. Auckland Botanical Society Journal, 43: 67
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 8 August 2004. Description adapted 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.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Thyridia repens Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/thyridia-repens/ (Date website was queried)