Gentianella antarctica
Common name
Campbell Island gentian
Synonyms
Gentiana antarctica Kirk, Gentiana antarctica var. imbricata Kirk, Gentiana concinna var. elongata Hook.f., Gentiana concinna var. robusta Hook.f., Chionogentias antarctica (Kirk) L.G.Adams, Oreophylax antarcticus (Kirk) Á.Löve nom. inval.
Family
Gentianaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Chromosome number
2n = 36
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. 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: IE, OL
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: IE, OL
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL, IE
2004 | Range Restricted
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
Coastal to alpine. Low forest, Chionochloa antarctica tussocklands and Poa litorosa grasslands, also present in Marsippospermum gracile sedgeland on summit fellfields.
Detailed description
Plants monocarpic, probably biennial, height in flower 16–220 mm. Caudex unbranched, 4–13 mm long. Root unbranched, c. 2 mm diameter at stem base. Flowering stems terminal only, largest flowering stem c. 2.5 mm diameter at base, stem colour green or tinted crimson, 4 pairs of leaves per stem, lowest pedicels from halfway up flowering stem. Rosette leaves distinct from flowering stem leaves, narrowly elliptic, 11.0–82.0 × 3.1–17.6 mm, green or tinted purple-black or bronze, flat, apex acute to rounded, not recurved or recurved at tips of smaller leaves; margins recurved, thickened; petiole absent or indistinct, c. 5–11 mm long, 1.6–8.8 mm wide at leaf base. Flowering stem leaves almost identical to rosette leaves but shorter and wider. Pedicels one or two per leaf axil, 1.6–4.5 mm long, c. 0.5 mm diameter. Flowers 9–49 per plant, 7–12 mm long. Calyx 5.5–7.6 mm long, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present; lobes 4.0–5.9 mm long, 1.2–1.5 mm wide at base, plane, apices acute, margins minutely denticulate, sinus hairs sparse or absent. Corolla 9.5–14.0 mm long, white or pink to dark purple with veins colourless or pink to dark purple; tube 3.0–5.5 mm long; lobes 4.6–8.5 × 1.5–2.9 mm, hairs below sinus absent; nectary 1.6–3.4 mm from corolla base. Filaments 3.4–7.2 mm long from corolla base, 0.5–0.6 mm wide. Anthers 1.0–1.2 mm long, anther wall blue-black, rarely yellow, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colour unknown. Ovules 7–27 per ovary. Capsule 8.0–13.2 mm long.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from all other New Zealand species by the combination of its erect terminal flowering stem, its flowers on short pedicels, leaves with a thickened and recurved margin, corolla and calyx hairs absent from the sinuses, nectaries distant from the corolla base, and corolla lobes narrow and long.
Flowering
December–April
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Fruiting
March–May
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild.
Threats
A Naturally Uncommon, range-restricted, island endemic. Abundant on the islands it is under no obvious threat. The Campbell Islands are administered as a Nature Reserve and are part of a World Heritage Park with access strictly controlled by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Etymology
gentianella: Little Gentiana (named after Gentius, 6th century king of Illyria, who found the roots of the yellow gentian to have a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops)
antarctica: Antarctic
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (October 2004). Description modified from Glenny (2004).
References and further reading
Glenny, D. 2004. A revision of the genus Gentianella in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(3): 361–530. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2004.9512910.