Threat category:
Threatened: Nationally Vulnerable?Regions:
Wellington, Nelson-Tasman, Westcoast, Otago, SouthlandDistribution:
North Island and South Island
Key Features
- Fans of stiff, narrow leaves that are borne on creeping underground stems. Leaves are 15-75 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm wide, with orange colouration on the margins and midrib when growing in exposed sites. Inflorescences are usually shorter than the leaves and have erect white flowers with six petals, the outer three smaller than the inner three. Fruits are green at first, becoming brown or yellow, then turning black and persisting on the plant
Distribution and Habitat
- North and South Islands, in sandy, peaty and pumice soils from sea level to 1,000 m, but absent from the far north.
Threats
- Habitat modification and loss.
- Browsing by stock.
- Competition with exotic plants.
Management Opportunities
- Survey for new locations.
- Mark known sites.
- Protection of habitat.
- Exclude stock from known sites.
- Weed control.
- Re-establish at appropriate sites within plantation forests.
Monitoring Options
- Check existing populations annually.
- Report new locations to DOC, NZPCN.
Further Information and Support
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN). http://www.nzpcn.org.nz
- Weed management - DOC, Regional Councils.
- References
- Wilson, H.D. (1994). Stewart Island Plants. Manuka Press, Christchurch.
- Moore, L.B. & Edgar, E. (1976). Flora of New Zealand. Volume II. Government Printer, 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.