Wahlenbergia pygmaea subsp. tararua
Common names
Tararua harebell
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Perennial rhizomatous herb, producing numerous diffuse, rosulate tufts of leaves at ground level. Leaves sessile, 10-20 x 3-5 mm, bright green, glossy, glabrescent, oblanceolate, margins flat, with 9-15 prominent teeth.Flowers erect or nodding on short upright stalks 40-100 mm tall. Calyx lobes 3 x 1.5 mm, glabrous, narrowly triangular. Corolla opaque-white, 30 mm diam. and up to 18 mm long, broadly campanulate with tube as broad or borader than long, lobes 9 x 7 mm, spreading, broadly elliptic-lanceolate, acute. Capsule 10 x 6 mm, glabrous, cylindrical to barrel-shaped, seeds ellipsoid, glossy brown.
Similar taxa
This subspecies is said to differ from the other two W. pygmaea Colenso subspecies (subsp. pygmaea and subsp. drucei J.A.Petterson) by its oblanceolate, flat leaves whose margins are adorned by 9-15 teeth, and by the opaque white flowers. It is the only entity within W. pygmaea known from the Tararua Ranges. However, the foliage distinctions are seen also in W. pygmaea s.s. This taxon warrants further critical study.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island. Known only from a few sites in the southern Tararua Ranges.
Habitat
Alpine (> 1100 m a.s.l.). In herbfield, and amongst rocks.
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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Threats
Indications are that this is a naturally uncommon, range-restricted endemic known from only two very small areas.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None.
Taxonomic notes
Some botanists regard this subspecies as part of the wide range of variation exhibited by W. pygmaea. Further research into its status, and indeed that of the other New Zealand taxa within the genus is needed.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - May
Fruiting
January - June
Propagation technique
Easily grown from tip cuttings and the division of whole plants. Fresh seed should germinate readily.
Other information
Etymology
wahlenbergia: Named in honour of Wahlenberg, a Swedish botanist and author of A Botany of Lapland.
pygmaea: Tiny
Chromosome number
2n = 36
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.
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Data Deficient
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Petterson, J.A. 1997: Revision of the genus Wahlenbergia (Campanulaceae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botanv 35: 9-54.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange 12 June 2007. Description adapted from Petterson (1997).