Other names:
Gratiola nanaThreat category:
Threatened: Nationally Endangered?Regions:
Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson-Tasman, Westcoast, Otago, SouthlandDistribution:
North Island and South Island
Key Features
- A small, creeping herb with rounded, opposite leaves that have small, purple spots and irregular notches on their margins. Relatively large flowers are borne singly in November and have a tubular base and four petals. They are white with a yellow throat and pink veins.
- This species was known as Gratiola nana.
Distribution and Habitat
- Known from both North and South Islands but very local. The usual habitat is wet turf but it occurs in a variety of situations including muddy hollows in forest clearings, stream and lake edges, ephemeral tarns, or even aquatic in shallow water.
Threats
- Habitat modification and loss through drainage of wetlands.
- Competition with invasive weeds.
Management Opportunities
- Survey for new locations.
- Mark known sites.
- Protection of habitat.
- Weed control.
Monitoring Options
- Check existing populations annually.
- Report new locations to DOC and NZPCN.
Further Information and Support
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN). http://www.nzpcn.org.nz
- Weed management - DOC, Regional Councils
- References
- Johnson, P.N. & Brooke, P.A. (1989). Wetland plants in New Zealand. DSIR Publishing, Wellington.
- Peter de Lange, Peter Heenan, David Norton, Jeremy Rolfe and John Sawyer (2010). Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. 472 pp.