Clianthus maximus, commonly known as kaka beak (kōwhai ngutu-kākā in Māori), is a woody legume shrub native to New Zealand's North Island. It is one of two species of Clianthus (kaka beak) and both have striking clusters of red flowers which resemble the beak of the kaka, a New Zealand parrot.[2][3]
| Clianthus maximus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Clianthus |
| Species: | C. maximus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Clianthus maximus | |
The species is endangered in the wild, with only 153 trees found in a 2005 survey (down from over 1000 in 1996), in the East Coast and northern Hawkes Bay regions.[4] In 2023, the plant was voted New Zealand's favourite plant of the year in a competition run by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network.[5]
Description
editC. maximus is a small woody shrub which grows to 1.5–6 metres high. It has glossy green leaves and dark scarlet flowers which appear between August and December. The flowers hang in clusters of 15-20 blooms.[2][3] The leaves are fern-like, with 15-30 pairs of evenly spaced glossy dark green leaflets.[6] The stems are a soft wood and are easily broken.[2] A single parent plant can cover a larger area, as it's long, trailing stems can form new plants when they reach the soil. It is short-lived, lasting only 15-20 years.[3]
It produces a green pea-like pod that will split when ripe to release it's small and hard seeds, which are wind dispersed. [2][7] The seeds are long-lived, and may still be viable after 30 years. They germinate in response to light gaps, enabling the plant to survive in semi-open environments.[3]
As C. maximus is a member of the pea family, it can perform nitrogen fixation.[3]
Taxonomy
editWilliam Colenso described C. maximus in 1885, identifying it as distinct from C. puniceus, the other kaka beak. However Thomas Kirk reduced C. maximus to a variety of C. puniceus (C. puniceus var. maximus) in 1899. Peter Heenan reinstated C. maximus as a separate species in 2000.[8]
In cultivation
editPrior to the 1990s, C. maximus was rarely cultivated, most stock available for cultivation being C. puniceus (then C. puniceus var. puniceus). C. maximus is now widely available in garden shops in New Zealand.[2]
Conservation status
editC. maximus has been classed as Nationally Critical since 2009.[2] There are only 153 confirmed trees in the wild, and their sites in the East Coast and northern Hawkes Bay regions are threatened by a range of factors (including browsing animals, disease, fire, and erosion).[4][2]
References
edit- ^ de Lange (1998). Clianthus puniceus. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2007. Retrieved on 30 July 2008. Listed as Endangered (EN D v2.3). This pre-2000 entry refers to C. puniceus sensu lato.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Clianthus maximus". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Kākābeak/ngutukākā". www.doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b Wild kaka beak close to extinction Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, New Zealand Biodiversity, 23 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ^ Jacobs, Maxine (16 December 2023). "Ngutukākā crowned Aotearoa's favourite native plant for 2023". Stuff. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Clianthus maximus - The University of Auckland". www.nzplants.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Kākābeak/ngutukākā". www.doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ Heenan, P.B. (2000). "Clianthus (Fabaceae) in New Zealand: a reappraisal of Colenso's taxonomy". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 38 (3): 361–371. doi:10.1080/0028825x.2000.9512688. ISSN 0028-825X. S2CID 84497558.
External links
edit
- Clianthus maximus Colenso (1885), Ngā Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plant Names Database. Landcare Research, New Zealand.
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