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Melicytus orarius

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Species of plant

Melicytus orarius
A photo of the plant showing the leaves
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Melicytus
Species: M. orarius
Binomial name
Melicytus orarius
Heenan, de Lange, Courtney & Molloy

Melicytus orarius, or Cook Strait Māhoe, is a species of flowering plant in the violet family Violaceae.

Description

A hermaphroditic, small (2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)) Melicytus bush with obovate leaves with a retuse apex, and purple-margined petals. It can grow prostrate in exposed conditions.

It was described in 2017, with the type specimen coming from Wellington Harbor.

Etymology

orarius is the adjectival form of the Latin ōra, meaning shore.

Distribution

New Zealand, near the Cook Strait, on the North and South Island islands, and nearby islets.

Habitat

Exposed headlands and rocks near the sea. It may require extensive guano deposits from seabirds in order to thrive, and populations that are in compromised habitats such as farmed islands like Kapiti or in suburban Wellington (such as in the Oku Street Reserve) are now seen as relicts, while other populations on islets in the Cook Strait, especially in the Marlborough Sound, are still viable.

References

  1. "Cook Strait Māhoe (Melicytus orarius)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  2. ^ Peter B. Heenan; Shannel P. Courtney; Peter J. De Lange; Brian P. J. Molloy (14 November 2017). "Three new Melicytus species from central New Zealand and a revised circumscription of Melicytus obovatus (Violaceae)". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 56 (1): 51–83. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2017.1387156. ISSN 0028-825X. Wikidata Q93466845.
  3. "Melicytus orarius Heenan de Lange, Courtney & Molloy". Landcare Research Manaati Whenua. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.

See also

  • de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Melicytus orarius Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. . Accessed August 17 2024.
Taxon identifiers
Melicytus orarius


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