Alseuosmia pusilla
| Alseuosmia pusilla | |
|---|---|
| A. pusilla in Pureora | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Alseuosmiaceae |
| Genus: | Alseuosmia |
| Species: | A. pusilla
|
| Binomial name | |
| Alseuosmia pusilla | |
Alseuosmia pusilla, the mountain alseuosmia,[2] is a species of flowering plant, endemic to New Zealand.[3][4]
Description
This plant is a small shrub, with glossy green leaves that can have a red margin. It rarely has a single or two branches, and grows up to 50cm.[2]
It has a red fruit. The flowers are white or green with five lobes,[2] and smell sweet.[4]
Range and habitat
Alseuosmia pusilla is found in the North Island to the south of Te Moehau and Mt Pirongia, and in the northwest corner of the South Island. It lives in montane habitats.[4] It can grow up to 950m in elevation, and is generally found in beech or podocarp forests.[5]
Etymology
Pusilla means 'small'. The plant is known to be inconspicuous.[4]
Ecology
The leaf shape of this plant may be a Batesian mimic of the toxic plant Pseudowintera colorata, meaning that it has evolved a leaf shape that is similar as a way to defend itself from herbivory. This currently functions as a defense against introduced mammalian herbivores in New Zealand, but it also may prehistorically have functioned as a defense against moa.[6]
References
- ^ "NZTCS". nztcs.org.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Flora of New Zealand | Taxon Profile | Alseuosmia pusilla". nzflora.info. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ "NZTCS". nztcs.org.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Alseuosmia pusilla". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ Shepherd, Lara D.; de Lange, Peter J.; Townsend, Andrew; Perrie, Leon R. (2 January 2020). "A biological and ecological review of the endemic New Zealand genus Alseuosmia (toropapa; Alseuosmiaceae)". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 58 (1): 2–18. Bibcode:2020NZJB...58....2S. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2019.1659376. ISSN 0028-825X.
- ^ Yager, Karl G.; Schaefer, H. Martin; Gould, Kevin S. (July 2016). "The significance of shared leaf shape in Alseuosmia pusilla and Pseudowintera colorata". Botany. 94 (7): 555–564. doi:10.1139/cjb-2016-0049. ISSN 1916-2790.