Gunnera hamiltonii is a creeping herbaceous plant in the familyGunneraceae that is endemic to the South Island and Stewart Island of New Zealand. It has clusters of small (2 to 7cm) grey-brown leaves forming a dense mat. Small yellow flowers are followed by red berries in the autumn.
Gunnera hamiltonii is a creeping herbaceous plant with clusters of small (2 to 7cm) grey-brown leaves forming a dense mat. It has small yellow flowers and fruits that are red berries.[2][5]
It is classified as "Threatened - Nationally Critical" in the New Zealand Threatened Classification System, with the qualifiers CD (Conservation Dependent), RR (Range Restricted), and RF (Recruitment Failure).[7][8]
It is one of the rarest plants in New Zealand, with only five suspected remaining natural habitats. Natural fertilisation of these plants is now difficult as the male and female plants are separate. There was no fruit or seed produced in wild populations studied in 1996.[9]
↑Lange, Peter de; Gosden, Jane L.; Courtney, Shannel P.; Fergus, Alexander J. F.; Barkla, John; Beadel, Sarah M.; Champion, Paul D.; Hindmarsh-Walls, Rowan; Makan, Troy; Michel, Pascale (1 October 2024). "Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023". New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 43: 1–105. ISSN2324-1713.
