Clianthus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Faboideae
Tribus: Galegeae
Genus: Clianthus
Species (2): C. magnificus – C. puniceus
Name

Clianthus Sol. ex Lindl. 1835.
Synonyms

Donia G.Don & D.Don, Gen. Hist. (G.Don) 2: 467. 1832, non R.Br. (1813).
Eremocharis R.Br.

References
Primary references

Solander, D.C. in Lindley, J. 1835. Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, ser. 2, 1: 521

Additional references

de Lange, P.J., Norton, D.A., Courtney, S.P., Heenan, P.B., Barkla, J.W., Cameron, E.K., Hitchmough, R. & Townsend, A.J. 2009. Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision) New Zealand Journal of Botany 47(1): 61-96. DOI: 10.1080/00288250909509794 Open access Reference page.
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 Reference page.
Martin, N.A. 2009. Herbivores and pathogens associated with Clianthus species (Fabales: Fabaceae). Weta 38: 6–12. abstract and pdf Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Clianthus in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Jan 04. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. 04. Published online. Accessed: Jan 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Clianthus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Jan 04.
Hassler, M. 2021. Clianthus. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Jan 04. Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Kakabeak, Glory Peas
suomi: Nokat

Clianthus, commonly known as kakabeak (kōwhai ngutukākā in Māori), is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, comprising two species of shrubs native to New Zealand. They have striking clusters of red flowers which resemble the beak of the kaka, a New Zealand parrot. The plants are also known as parrot's beak, parrot's bill and lobster claw – all references to the distinctive flowers. There is also a variety with white to creamy coloured flowers called: "Albus," and a variety with rosy pink flowers called: "Roseus."[2]

The two species are the critically endangered Clianthus puniceus which is now known in the wild only on Moturemu Island in the Kaipara Harbour, and the endangered Clianthus maximus. In a 2005 survey, only 153 plants of C. maximus were found (down from over 1000 in 1996), mainly in the East Cape region.[3] C. maximus is widely grown as a garden plant in New Zealand, but the cultivated lines are descended from only a few plants and are not genetically diverse. C. puniceus is cultivated and has given rise to award-winning cultivars.

Kakabeak grows to around two metres high, with spreading branches producing leaf stalks up to 15 cm long bearing several pairs of small leaflets. They usually flower from spring through to early summer, but can flower twice a year or even year round.[4]

Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander collected specimens of Clianthus in 1769 and C. puniceus was described in 1835. William Colenso identified two species of Clianthus as early as 1847 and described C. maximus in 1885. However Thomas Kirk reduced C. maximus to a variety of C. puniceus in 1899. Peter Heenan reinstated C. maximus as a separate species in 2000.[5]

Clianthus forms a clade with the genus Carmichaelia, New Zealand broom. Together they form a larger clade with the Australian genus Swainsona and the New Zealand Montigena (scree pea).[6] Sturt's desert pea, Swainsona formosa, has some similarities to kakabeak and was initially placed in the genus Clianthus. The fourth genus of New Zealand native legumes is Sophora, represented by eight species of kowhai.[7]

Kakabeak featured on New Zealand's definitive stamps from 1960 to 1969, initially on the pre-decimal 2d stamp, and then on its replacement 2c stamp from 1967.

The floral emblem of South Australia,[8] Swainsona formosa, formerly Clianthus dampieri, is similar.
Gallery

Botanical illustration from Cook's first voyage

Variety with white flowers known as "Albus."

References

Entry in New Zealand Plants database, Landcare Research. Retrieved 7 April 2006.
Paddison, Valda (2003). The Gardener's Encyclopaedia of New Zealand Native Plants. Godwit. p. 189. ISBN 1869620437. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
Wild kakabeak close to extinction, New Zealand Biodiversity, 23 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
"Kakabeak", pp. 168-169 in Gerard Hutching's The Natural World of New Zealand, Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, 1998. ISBN 0-670-87782-4
Heenan, P.B. (2000). "Clianthus (Fabaceae) in New Zealand: a reappraisal of Colenso's taxonomy" (PDF) New Zealand Journal of Botany. 38 (3): 361–371. doi:10.1080/0028825x.2000.9512688. ISSN 0028-825X. S2CID 84497558. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
Wagstaff, Steven J.; Peter B. Heenan; Michael J. Sanderson (1999). "Classification, origins, and patterns of diversification in New Zealand Carmichaelia (Fabaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 86 (9): 1346–1356. doi:10.2307/2656781. JSTOR 2656781. PMID 10487821. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
Taxonomy of New Zealand Native Legumes. Retrieved 7 April 2006.
"South Australia Flags & Emblems".