Gunnera hamiltonii
| Gunnera hamiltonii | |
|---|---|
| File:Gunnera hamiltonii by John Barkla.jpg | |
| Gunnera hamiltonii at the Rakiura National Park | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Gunnerales |
| Family: | Gunneraceae |
| Genus: | Gunnera |
| Species: | G. hamiltonii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gunnera hamiltonii Kirk
| |
Gunnera hamiltonii is a creeping herbaceous plant in the family Gunneraceae that is endemic to the South Island and Stewart Island of New Zealand. It has clusters of small (2 to 7 cm) grey-brown leaves forming a dense mat. Small green flowers are followed by red berries in the autumn.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]Gunnera hamiltonii is a creeping herbaceous plant in the family Gunneraceae.[1][2] It was described in 1888 by New Zealand botanist Thomas Kirk in an article by Southland resident William Stewart Hamilton, for whom the species is named.[3][4]
Description
[edit | edit source]Gunnera hamiltonii is a creeping herbaceous plant with clusters of small (2 to 7 cm) grey-brown leaves forming a dense mat. It has small green flowers and fruits that are red berries.[2][5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit | edit source]
G. hamiltonii is endemic to New Zealand, found in Southland, South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura.[6] It is found in damp sand in coastal, sparsely vegetated dune slacks and swales.[2][3]
Conservation status
[edit | edit source]It is classified as "Threatened - Nationally Critical" in the New Zealand Threatened Classification System, with the qualifiers CD (Conservation Dependent), RR (Range Restricted), and RF (Recruitment Failure).[7][8]
It is one of the rarest plants in New Zealand, with only five suspected remaining natural habitats. Natural fertilisation of these plants is now difficult as the male and female plants are separate. There was no fruit or seed produced in wild populations studied in 1996.[9]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]
- Environment Southland factsheet - see sidebar
- Photo of cultivated Gunnera hamiltonii
- New Zealand Duneland Ecology - includes photo of wild Gunnera hamiltonii
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