| Dracophyllum muscoides | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Dracophyllum |
| Species: | D. muscoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Dracophyllum muscoides | |
Dracophyllum muscoides, commonly known as cushion inaka, is a small cushion plant in the family Ericaceae . It is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the South Island in sub-alpine regions. [1]
D. muscoides grows into a small cushion just 15 - 50 mm tall, despite its upright branch growth, with many-branched stems and greyish-brown bark; though new growth is a reddish-brown colour. Its leaves grow in a spiral around branches; overlapping and pressing against each other. The olive green leaves are 1 - 3 by 0.3 - 0.8 mm and are contained within 1.5 - 3 by 1.5 - 3 light green sheathes. On the front third of the narrow leaves are tiny teeth, with 5 - 10 per cm. Flowering occurs from December to May, producing small white flowers, each on a sessile terminal inflorescence. The flowers are made up of oval-shaped 1.5 – 4 .5 by 1.5 – 2.0 mm sepals growing out of a 2.0 - 2.5 by 1.5 – 3.5 mm white bell-shaped corolla tube. The corolla tube has 1.0 – 1.5 by 1.0 – 1.5 mm glabrous lobes. In the upper third of the flower is the stamen, which is made up of 0.8 – 1.0 mm long light yellow anthers on top of 0.2 – 0.5 mm long filaments. It also has a 1.4 – 1.5 by 1.3 – 1.4 mm ovary and 0.5 – 0.9 by 0.5 – 0.7 mm nectary scales. Fruiting is from February to August, yielding 1.0 – 1.1 by 0.8 – 1.0 mm fruit inside which are 0.5 – 0.6 mm long yellowish-brown oval seeds which are dispersed by the wind. [1]
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| Cladogram showing the phylogeny of selected species within the genus Dracophyllum, from research published in 2010. Subgenus Oreothamnus Subgenus Dracophyllum |
D. muscoides was first described in 1864 by Joseph Dalton Hooker in his Handbook of the New Zealand Flora from a specimen collected by Hector and Buchanan 7 - 8000 ft up in the alps near Otago. [2]
Dracophyllum is from the genus's similarity to the species in the genus Dracaena from the Canary Islands and is from the Ancient Greek for "dragon-leaf". The specific epithet muscoides means "moss-like" and is from the Latin muscus, meaning "moss", and -oides, meaning "resembling". [1] [3]
He claimed that it was closely allied to D. minimum, however W. R. B. Oliver, the first person to attempt to arrange the genus Dracophyllum taxonomically, didn't totally agree. In a 1952 supplement of the Trans. Proc. R. Soc. N. Z., he placed D. muscoides in a group with D. prostratum and D. pronum, leaving D. minimum to its own group, in the subgenus Oreothamnus. Oliver, however, conducted his research based purely on morphological characteristics such as growth habit, leaves, and flowers. [4] In 2010 a team of several botanists, including Stephanus Venter, published an article on the genus Dracophyllum in the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. In it they performed a cladistic analysis and produced a phylogenetic tree of the tribe Richeeae and other species using genetic sequencing. They found that only the subgenus Oreothamnus as well as the tribe Richeeae were monophyletic and that D. muscoides is contained within a Paraphyletic group with D. pronum and others. The paraphylly of the genus Dracophyllum, as well as the polyphyly of the closely related genus Richea, they argued, suggested that a major taxonomic revision was required. [5] [6] Stephanus Venter revised the genus in 2021, merging the genus Richea into two subgenera, named D. Subg. Cystanthe and D. Subg.Dracophylloides, of Dracophyllum. Though he noted that because the 2010 study was based on plastid sequence data and did not attain some species with strong enough evidence, the subgenera are instead based on morphological characteristics. [7]
D. muscoides' placement can be summarised in the cladogram at right.
D. muscoides is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the South Island of New Zealand from Mount Hercules south. It grows in sub-alpine herb-fields, boulder-fields, grassland, and alpine bog from 914 – 2600 m above sea level. [1]
Dracophyllum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Ericaceae, formerly Epacridaceae. There are 61 species in the genus, mostly shrubs, but also cushion plants and trees, found in New Zealand, Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia. The name Dracophyllum, meaning dragon-leaf, refers to their strong outward similarity to the unrelated Dracaena, sometimes known as dragon tree. Although dicotyledonous, they resemble primitive monocots with their slender leaves concentrated in clumps at the ends of the branches; they are sometimes called grass-trees.
Dracophyllum milliganii is a species of angiosperm in the family Ericaceae and the sub-family Epacridoideae. It is a distinctive alpine shrub, endemic to western Tasmania.
Dracophyllum longifolium, commonly called inaka, is an upright shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae that is endemic to New Zealand.
Dracophyllum arboreum, commonly known as Chatham Island grass tree and tarahinau (Moriori), is a species of tree in the heath family Ericaceae. Endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, it reaches a height of 18 m (60 ft) and has leaves that differ between the juvenile and adult forms.
Dracophyllum traversii, commonly known as mountain neinei, grass tree, and pineapple tree is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is a deciduous tree endemic to New Zealand. It reaches a height of 0.2–13 m (0.66–42.65 ft) and has leaves which form tufts at the end of its branches. It has a lifespan of between 500 and 600 years.
Dracophyllum ophioliticum, commonly known as asbestos inaka and asbestos turpentine tree, is a species of shrub in the family Ericaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, it grows into a sprawling shrub, reaching heights of just 30–200 cm (10–80 in), and has leaves which form bunches at the end of its branches.
Dracophyllum townsonii is a species of shrub or small tree endemic to the north of New Zealand's South Island. It was first described by Thomas Cheeseman in 1906 and gets the specific epithet townsonii after the chemist and plant collector William Townson. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain slopes and reaches a height of 3–6 m.
Dracophyllum verticillatum is a species of shrub or small tree endemic to New Caledonia. It was first described by Jacques Labillardière in 1800 and gets the specific epithet verticillatum for its flowers growing on verticillasters. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits exposed plains and gentle mountain slopes and reaches a height of 0.2–7 m tall.
Dracophyllum pronum, commonly known as Trailing neinei, is a species of sprawling shrub endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Walter Oliver in 1928 and gets the specific epithet pronum for its prostrate growth habit. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits montane and subalpine areas and reaches a height of just 1–25 cm.
Dracophyllum scoparium is a species of shrub or small tree endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1844 and gets the specific epithet scoparium, in the form of a broom, for the way in which its juvenile leaves grow. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits the Chatham and Pitt Islands, and reaches a height of 1–4 m.
Dracophyllum strictum, commonly known as totorowhiti, is a species of shrub endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1844 and gets the specific epithet strictum for its rigid and packed together leaves. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits lowland up to montane forest and shrubland and reaches a height of 50–300 cm.
Dracophyllum ramosum is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to New Caledonia. It was first described by Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart and Jean Antoine Arthur Gris in 1864 and gets the specific epithet ramosum for the fact that many of its branches grow from the same place. It inhabits the summits and slopes of mountains, alongside streams, and on plateaux; it reaches a height of 0.5–5 m.
Dracophyllum ouaiemense is a species of shrub in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to New Caledonia. It was first described by Robert Virot in 1975 and gets the specific epithet ouaiemense after the region in which it grows: Roche Ouaième. It inhabits the tops of mountains and more gentle slopes and reaches a height of 50 cm.
Dracophyllum menziesii, commonly known as pineapple scrub, is a species of shrub endemic to the South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain slopes and cliffs from sea level up to 1,500 m (4,921 ft) and reaches a height of 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Not Threatened", giving it an estimated population upwards of 100,000.
Dracophyllum fiordense, commonly known as the Fiordland grass tree, is a species of tree or shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It reaches a height of 1.5–5.0 metres and has tufts of long green leaves at the ends of its branches. Each leaf has a distinctive curled spiral tip. D. fiordense has a pyramid-shaped inflorescence hidden under each clump of leaves, with between 113 and 120 pink flowers on each spike, and later reddish-brown dry fruit; both are around just 2 by 2 mm. It inhabits shrubland, lowland and subalpine forests, and tussock grassland of mountain slopes, gullies, and ridges. Its range covers two main areas: one in Fiordland National Park, and one in the Mount Cook and Westland National Parks.
Dracophyllum trimorphum, commonly known as inaka and dracophyllum, is a species of shrub or small tree endemic to north-west Nelson in New Zealand's South Island. It was first described by Walter Oliver in 1952 and gets the specific epithet trimorphum for its three phases of growth. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits cliffs and steep slopes near the coast and reaches a height of 0.2–3.0 m (1–10 ft). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as “Naturally Uncommon,” giving it an estimated habitat area of less than 10 km2 (1,000.0 ha).
Dracophyllum kirkii is a species of shrub endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It was first described by Sven Berggren in 1877 and gets the specific epithet kirkii after the New Zealand botanist Thomas Kirk. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain slopes and bluffs and reaches a height of just 20–140 cm (8–55 in). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Not Threatened", giving it an estimated population of more than 100,000.
Dracophyllum filifolium is a species of shrub or tree endemic to the North, South, and Stewart Islands of New Zealand. It was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1853 and gets the specific epithet filifolium for its leaves being like a filament. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain slopes, saddles and ridges and reaches a height of 1–4 m (3–13 ft). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Not Threatened", giving it an estimated population of more than 100,000.
Dracophyllum densum is a species of shrub endemic to north-west Nelson in New Zealand's South Island. It was first described by Walter Oliver in 1952 and gets the specific epithet densum for its leaves growing densely. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain summits, plateaux, and ridge lines and reaches a height of 0.3–0.5 m (1–2 ft). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Declining", giving it an estimated population of more than 100,000.
Dracophyllum acerosum is a species of shrub or small tree endemic to New Zealand's South Island. It was first described by Sven Berggren in 1877 and gets the specific epithet acerosum, meaning needles shaped, for its leaves. In the heath family Ericaceae, it inhabits mountain slopes, ridge lines and hillsides and reaches a height of 1–2 m (3–7 ft). A 2017 assessment using the New Zealand Threat Classification System classified it as "Not Threatened", giving it an estimated population of more than 100,000.
 Species of the Dracophyllum genus | |
|---|---|
| subg. Dracophyllum | |
| subg. Oreothamnus |
|
| subg. Cystanthe | |
| subg. Richea | |