Dracophyllum fiordense
Fiordland grass tree | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Dracophyllum |
Species: | D. fiordense
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Binomial name | |
Dracophyllum fiordense | |
Range[3]
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Dracophyllum fiordense, commonly known as the Fiordland grass tree, is a species of tree or shrub in the heath family,
D. fiordense was first described by the New Zealand naturalist Walter Oliver in 1928 and placed by him in the subgenus Dracophyllum. A cladistic analysis using genetic sequencing was published in 2010, which revealed that D. fiordense is closely related to D. menziesii as Oliver had hypothesised. Its conservation status was assessed in 2017 as "Declining". The kākāpō, a flightless bird, feeds on the bases of the leaves by making careful incisions in new shoots. D. fiordense is likely pollinated by insects and its seeds are later dispersed by the wind.
Description
Dracophyllum fiordense is a tree or tall shrub that grows to heights of 1.5–5.0 metres (5–16 feet). Though the trunk is usually unbranched, upright-growing branches may sometimes form, particularly on plants in Westland. The bark on older sections is a greyish-brown colour; newer growth is a yellow-brown. It is often very flaky and fragmented near the base of old stems. The leaves of D. fiordense are concentrated at the ends of branches, similar to species in the family Bromeliaceae, and are leathery, deeply grooved, and shaped like a triangle. They are 40–70 by 4–5 centimetres (16–28 by 1.6–2.0 inches) and have finely-toothed edges with 10–15 teeth every 1 cm (0.4 in). The tip of each leaf is pointed and curls in a distinctive spiral.[4]
Flowering occurs from January to March, producing an
There are between 113 and 120 flowers on each panicle, grouped in sets of ten near the base. They hang from hairless 0.8–1.5 mm pedicels which have 4.5–5.0 by 0.8–10 mm hairless bracteoles (smaller bracts) in the middle, that later fall off. The
Fruiting occurs throughout the year, producing an egg-shaped brown 0.55–0.60 mm long seed which is encased within a 2.0–2.8 by 2.5–4.0 mm red-brown fruit. The fruit is globe shaped but pressed in on itself.[4] Dracophyllum fiordense is similar to D. menziesii and D. townsonii in that its inflorescences develop below the clusters of leaves, though they are more branched than that of D. menziesii. D. traversii is also similar, but D. fiordense has a mostly unbranched stem, spiralled ends to its leaves, and an inflorescence occurring below the leaves.[3]
Taxonomy
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Cladogram showing the phylogeny of selected species within the genus Dracophyllum, from research published in 2010.
Subgenus Oreothamnus Subgenus Dracophyllum
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Dracophyllum fiordense was first
Etymology
The
Classification and evolution
In 1928, Oliver published his first attempt to establish
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Thelectotype in the Te Papaherbarium.
Distribution and habitat
Distribution
Dracophyllum fiordense is
Venter recorded in his 2009 thesis and 2021 revision of the genus that plants from the southern population, found in Fiordland, tend to have few or no branches off the main stem, with longer leaves and larger fruit than those of the other population. He hypothesised that this may be due to the higher elevation, as, for example, plants from valleys on Mt. Alexander reach 5 m (16 ft), whereas others in more alpine regions reach just 50 cm (2 ft). The northern population, in Westland, typically has many-branched stems, much smaller fruit and shorter leaves.[3][14] Norton claimed he had not seen individuals with as many branches as Venter had illustrated in his thesis in the northern population. The branches off the main stem, according to Norton, are only rarely present in southern plants, and when they are, they occur at the base of the plant.[13]
Habitat
Dracophyllum fiordense grows on 50˚–80˚ steep mountain slopes from 50 to 1,280 m (160 to 4,200 ft). It typically occurs on north, north-west, or north-eastern facing slopes in gullies, ravines, ridges, or bluffs. Vegetation in these areas is commonly made up of moist lowland and subalpine forest, shrubland, or tussock grassland. Tree cover comes from silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii), tūpare (Olearia colensoi), mountain flax (Phormium cookianum), or tussock grasses (from the genus Chionochloa).[14] Soil content is principally a brown clay loam formed from schist and gneiss and is often rich in humus. D. fiordense usually prefers sunny areas, but sometimes it can be found in places with light shade. Despite these regions having high rainfall, the plant also can gain moisture from the mist.[3] A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Declining", with an estimated habitat area less than 100 km2 (39 sq mi; 10,000 ha).[1]
Ecology
Dracophyllum fiordense is one of several species that the flightless bird kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), feeds on. One 1977 thesis found "kākāpō signs", or chew marks, caused by the lower mandible on the lateral buds (shoots) of D. fiordense. The technique they employ – specifically on D. fiordense – is an incision into the leaf buds with their beaks followed by eating the leaf bases through the incision.[15] In the Fiordland region, which was where the kākāpō's last wild population was located (before subsequent conservation efforts),[16] D. fiordense, along with other Fiordland Dracophyllum species such as D. menziesii, D. longifolium, and D. uniflorum, is an important source of food for the parrot.[15]
The seeds of D. fiordense are small enough to be dispersed by the wind and one 2010 paper in New Zealand Journal of Ecology found pollination is likely achieved by insects.[4][17] Species flammability within the Dracophyllum genus was analysed in a 2020 study published in New Phytologist. D. fiordense was found to be one of the least flammable plants across the genus, attaining the lowest burning time, mean maximum temperature, ignition score, and mean burnt biomass, and conversely having the greatest mean moisture content in its leaves. Since D. menziesii, its closest relative, grows in drier open areas and is more flammable than D. fiordense, which grows in high rainfall forests and shrubland and has low flammability, researchers suggested that this trait may have been determined by the species' environment.[18] Deer were found to feed on D. fiordense in two studies, conducted in 1975 and 1982 respectively, on Secretary Island in Fiordland. The first study found its foliage was eaten the 17th most; the second found that its branches were the 10th most chewed, among other plants in the area.[19][20]
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b NZTCS 2017
- ^ IPNI 2021
- ^ a b c d e f g h Venter 2021, pp. 18–22.
- ^ a b c d e De Lange 2012.
- ^ Venter 2021, p. 3.
- ^ a b Oliver 1928, pp. 705–706.
- ^ a b Oliver 1952, p. 14.
- ^ Eagle 2006, p. 564.
- ^ Mirza 2005, p. 187.
- ^ Venter 2021, p. 4.
- ^ Wagstaff et al. 2010, pp. 235–258
- ^ Venter 2021, p. 205.
- ^ a b Norton 2018, pp. 430–437.
- ^ a b Venter 2009, pp. 163–171.
- ^ a b Gray 1977, pp. 84–86.
- ^ Lentini et al. 2018, p. 158
- ^ Kelly et al. 2010, p. 77
- ^ Cui 2020, p. 6.
- ^ Mark & Baylis 1975, pp. 19–24.
- ^ Mark & Baylis 1982, pp. 67–75.
References
Websites
- "Assessment details for Dracophyllum fiordense W.R.B.Oliv". New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). Department of Conservation (New Zealand). 2017. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- De Lange, Peter (2012). "Dracophyllum fiordense". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) (2021). "Dracophyllum fiordense W.R.B.Oliv., Trans. & Proc. N. Z. Inst. lix. 705 (1929)". IPNI (www.ipni.org). The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; and, Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
Books
- Eagle, Audrey (2006). Eagle's Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand. Vol. 2. New Zealand: Te Papa Press. ISBN 0-909010-08-0.
- Gray, Richard Scott (1977). The Kakapo (Strigops habrotilus, Gray, 1847) its food, feeding and habitat in Fiordland and Maud Island: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Zoology at Massey University (Thesis). Massey University. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- Mirza, Umair (2005). New Zealand Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New Zealand: David Bateman. .
- Venter, Stephanus (2009). A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae) (Thesis). Unpublished. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
Journals
- Cui, Xinglei; Paterson, Adrian M.; Alam, Md Azharul; Wyse, Sarah V.; Marshall, Kate; Perry, George L. W.; Curran, Timothy J. (October 2020). "Shoot‐level flammability across the Dracophyllum (Ericaceae) phylogeny: evidence for flammability being an emergent property in a land with little fire". New Phytologist. 228 (1): 95–105. S2CID 218600466.
- Kelly, Dave; Ladley, Jenny J.; Robertson, Alastair W.; Anderson, Sandra H.; Wotton, Debra M.; Wiser, Susan K. (2010). "Mutualisms with the wreckage of an avifauna: the status of bird pollination and fruit-dispersal in New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 34 (1): 66–85. from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- Lentini, Pia E.; Stirnemann, Ingrid A.; Stojanovic, Dejan; Worthy, Trevor H.; Stein, John A. (January 2018). "Using fossil records to inform reintroduction of the kakapo as a refugee species". Biological Conservation. 217: 157–165. from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- Mark, A. F.; Baylis, G. T. S (1975). "Impact of deer on Secretary Island, Fiordland, New Zealand". Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society. 22: 19–24. .
- Mark, A. F.; Baylis, G. T. S. (1982). "Further studies on the impact of deer on Secretary Island, Fiordland, New Zealand". .
- Norton, David A. (2 October 2018). "A substantial northward extension of the range of Dracophyllum fiordense W.R.B. Oliv. (Ericaceae), Westland, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 56 (4): 430–437. from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- Oliver, Walter R. B. (1928). "A revision of the genus Dracophyllum". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 59. Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021 – via Papers Past.
- Oliver, Walter R. B. (1952). "A revision of the genus Dracophyllum: supplement". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 80. Retrieved 12 September 2021 – via the Internet Archive.
- Venter, Stephanus (March 2021). "A taxonomic revision of the Australasian genera Dracophyllum and Richea (Richeeae: Styphelioideae: Ericaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 34 (2). from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- Wagstaff, Steven J.; Dawson, Murray I.; Venter, Stephanus; Munzinger, Jérôme; Crayn, Darren M.; Steane, Dorothy A; Lemson, Kristina L. (2010). "Origin, diversification, and classification of the Australasian genus Dracophyllum (Richeeae, Ericaceae) 1". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 97 (2): 235–258. from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
External links
- Media related to Dracophyllum fiordense at Wikimedia Commons
- The record of the lectotype in the Te Papa herbarium