Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Euphyllophytina
Infraphylum: Radiatopses
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genre: Jovellanos
Species: Jovellana sinclairii
Common name: NZ calceolaria, Jovellana, New Zealand calceolaria, Native calceolaria
Jovellana sinclairii is a sprawling native calceolaria up to half a metre tall, which bears panicles of 10 mm white and purple spotted, two-lipped flowers. Jovellana sinclairii grows in shady sites along both coastal and inland forest margins and stream sides on North Island east near Hicks Bay southwards. Has been photographed at Bells Falls near Holly Hut on Mt Taranaki. (see photo)
It has soft opposite leaves, dark green to yellow-green above and light green or pinkish below. They can be narrow-ovate, broad-ovate, ovate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, apiculate (ending abruptly in a small distinct point), margins coarsely 2-3 crenate-serrate (having a mixture of blunt and sharp teeth), sometimes lobed (deeply indented margins).
Its stems are up to 0.8 m long, green or red, laxly branched, slender, initially sprawling, otherwise ascendant, bases becoming woody with age; upper branches numerous, slender, finely striate, often bearing minute leaflets in axils.
In late spring/mid summer, it has attractive bell-shaped flowers with white petals with purple spots.
It is chronically threatened and in gradual decline.
Photographed locally at Te Kainga Marire Gardensat Spencer Place
Jovellana sinclairii leaf
The undersurface of a leaf.
A young plant.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
