About Carmichaelia petriei Kirk
Carmichaelia petriei Kirk is an upright, stout shrub that is sparingly branched. It reaches up to 2.5 meters in height and 2 meters in width. Its leafless branchlets are green, yellow-green, or bronze-green in color. Its flowers, which bloom from November to January, are violet, purple, and white. The shrub produces seeds from January to May. It can be told apart from other Carmichaelia species by the characteristics of its seed pods, which droop as they ripen, and by its seeds, which detach when they reach maturity. Carmichaelia petriei is endemic to New Zealand, found only in the country’s South Island. Its range extends north to the upper Waitaki River Valley in Canterbury, and it also occurs in the MacKenzie Basin, Otago, Southland, and Stewart Island. This species grows in scrub and tussock grassland among rocks, in montane, lowland, or coastal locations. It can be found in river gorges, on terraces and cliffs, and along forest margins. One of only four known specimens of the critically endangered fungus weevil Cerius otagensis was collected by beating a Carmichaelia petriei plant. This collection suggests that C. petriei may act as a host plant for this endangered insect species.
