Rhabdothamnus
| Rhabdothamnus solandri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Gesneriaceae |
| Genus: | Rhabdothamnus A.Cunn. |
| Species: | R. solandri |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhabdothamnus solandri A.Cunn. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Rhabdothamnus solandri, is the only member of the genus Rhabdothamnus, and the only plant from the Gesneriaceae family native to New Zealand. The common names for the plant are New Zealand gloxinia, and in Māori language: taurepo, matata and waiuatua.
R. solandri is a small shrub growing to 2 metres. It is only found in the North Island in a variety of locations such as forests, near streams, or on banks. R. solandri has a distinctive red and yellow trumpet shaped flower.[2]
Due to extinction debt, the future extinction of this shrub is nearly guaranteed. The local extinction of several species of pollinating birds in 1870 has caused a long-term reduction in the reproduction of the shrub species, which requires these birds to produce seeds. However, as the plant is slow-growing and long-lived, its populations persist.[3]
See also
- Negria; the species Negria rhabdothamnoides F.Muell. was initially listed in F.Mueller's collections as Rhabdothamnus negriana, although he did not publish that name.
References
- ↑ "ITIS Report". Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ "Rhabdothamnus solandri The yellow-flowered taurepo". Taranaki Flora. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
- ↑ Anderson, S. H.; Kelly, D.; Ladley, J. J.; Molloy, S.; Terry, J. (2011). "Cascading Effects of Bird Functional Extinction Reduce Pollination and Plant Density". Science. 331 (6020): 1068–1071. Bibcode:2011Sci...331.1068A. doi:10.1126/science.1199092. PMID 21292938.