Dracophyllum
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 Mountain Neinei, Dracophyllum traversii
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D. acerosum |
Dracophyllum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Ericaceae, formerly Epacridaceae. There are some one hundred or so species in the genus, mostly shrubs but also cusion plants and trees, found in New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia. The name, Dracophyllum or Dragon-leaf refers to their strange, almost prehistoric appearance. Although dicotyledenous they resemble primitive monocots with their slender leaves concentrated in clumps at the ends of the branches; they are sometimes called Grass-trees.
Among the New Zealand species are
- D. arboreum, Tree like growth to 10m with a distinct jevenile phase. It is found in the Chatham Islands.
- D. fiordense, Western Otago and Fiordland.
- D. latifolium, Neinei or Spiderwood. Found throughout the North Island, apart from Tai Tokerau, from sea level to 1000m. Usually found growing under kauri.
- D. lessonianum, Wi-wi, although it can grow up to 10m high it most frequently is seen as a straggly shrub.
- D. longifolium, inanga or inaka. Growing to 12m tall, this is the most wide spread species in New Zealand, found from sea level up to 1200m, in subalpine regions, from the middle of the North Island to as far south as the Auckland Islands.
- D. mathewsii, D. viride and D. sinclairii are found only in the far north of Tai Tokerau.
- D. menziesii is a multi branched shrub that grows to 2m. It grows in high rainfall areas in high montane to sub-alpine herbfields in Western Otago, Fiordland and Stewart Island.
- D. pyramidale, a very slender, almost fragile tree, growing up to 10m high. Grows between Great Barrier Island and the Kaimai ranges.
- D. recurvum, a 1m shrub with curled leaves, found in sub-alpine to high alpine regions of the Central Plateau of the North Island.
- D. townsonii, very similar to the Neinei, grows mainly in the Nelson area and the West Coast of the South Island.
- D. traversii, Mountain neinei. Found above 750m in the top half of the South Island.
[edit] References
- 'Poole' AL. 1966. Dracophyllum Species, An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
- 'Venter' S. 2002. Dracophyllum marmoricola and Dracophyllum ophioliticum (Ericaceae), two new species from north-west Nelson, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2002, Vol. 40 : 39–47
- 'Venter' S. 2004. Dracophyllum mackeeanum (Ericaceae: Richeeae), a new species from New Caledonia, New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2004, Vol. 42: 747–751
