Wahlenbergia ramosa
Common names
coastal harebell
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
Recognised by the preference for coastal habitats; alternate pale green leaves; pale-lilac flowers at anthesis, which open to off-white, or completely white flowers; rotate corolla with shallow saucer-shaped tube, and with the broadly ovate lobes overlapping in the open flower resulting in a compact appearance.
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Radicate, perennial herb. Stems 100–500 mm long, 1–2 mm thick, decumbent or ascending or stiffly erect. Mature leaves and bracts pale-green, alternate, sessile, variable, usually obovate-spathulate to oblanceolate on lower stem, grading to linear-lanceolate in upper stem, 8 × 2 to 30 × 10 mm; margins flat and distantly denticulate to strongly undulate, usually with scattered hairs on margins and lamina. Callus teeth 4–5 on each margin. Pedicels slender, 30–100 mm long. Flowers glabrous, 3–5-lobed, pastel lilac at anthesis, fading to off-white or pure white in different populations, 5–20 mm diameter, 4–9 mm long. Corolla rotate with shallow saucer-shaped tube, 1 × 3–4 mm; lobes spreading, 5 × 4 to 8 × 5 mm, broadly ovate, touching or overlapping in open flower. Style thickened at top, white. Calyx lobes glabrous, 1.5 × 1.0 to 3.0 × 1.5 mm, triangular; capsule glabrous 5–7 × 4 mm, ellipsoid to obconic, with protruding apical valves. Bud at anther dehiscence short and rounded. Self-fertile. Seeds 0.5 mm long.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North and South Islands from East Cape and Taranaki south to the Marlborough Sounds. Most common on the shores of Cook Strait.
Habitat
Mostly coastal (rarely inland). On rocks, cliffs, grassy places and in open scrub.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Campanulaceae
Synonyms
Wahlenbergia colensoi N.E.Br. pro. parte., Wahlenbergia gracilis sensu Allan nom. inv.,
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–April
Fruiting
December–May
Propagation technique
Seeds, tip cuttings, rootstock transplants. Easily grown in a well drained, sunny situation. Often freely naturalises in gardens and can become weedy.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available
Etymology
wahlenbergia: Named in honour of Wahlenberg, a Swedish botanist and author of A Botany of Lapland.
ramosa: Branched
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.
WAHRAM
Chromosome number
2n = 72
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Petterson JA. 1997. Revision of the genus Wahlenbergia (Campanulaceae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 35: 9–54.
Attribution
Fact Sheet Prepared by P.J. de Lange 12 June 2007. Description adapted from Petterson (1997).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Wahlenbergia ramosa Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/wahlenbergia-ramosa/ (Date website was queried)