''Xeronema callistemon'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

endemic to the

Poor Knights Islands The Poor Knights Islands (Māori: ''Tawhiti Rahi)'' are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They lie to the northeast of Whangārei, and offshore halfway between Bream Head ...

and Taranga Island in the north of New Zealand.Xeronema callistemon f. callistemonXeronema callistemon f. bracteosa
/ref> It was discovered in 1924 and has a common name Poor Knights lily. The plant is listed as vulnerable in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Plants,1997 IUCN red list of threatened plants
p.746 but as of October 2010 is not listed in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

.http://www.iucnredlist.org/
and search for Xeronema callistemon

Etymology

The

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

of the plant originates from the Poor Knights Islands on which it was discovered. The islands, in turn, were so named because of their similarity in shape to the Poor Knights Pudding – a bread-based dish popular at the time of their discovery by Europeans. The botanical species name means "with a beautiful stamen", referring to the prominent red

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

of the plant's flowers.

Structure

The green stalks of ''Xeronema callistemon'' start growing vertically, initially sheathed by overlapping leaves. As the flower emerges, the stalk then turn sideways, growing a red flower raceme with prominent red

tipped with orange

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and resembles a giant bottlebrush or toothbrush.Barbara Matthew
Growing Native Plants
Taylor & Francis, 1979, p. 50 The individual flower

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s are 10–15 mm long, the stamens up to tall, and the length of the brush is usually between and can reach . The plant itself is about tall and wide.

Habitat

''Xeronema callistemon'' usually grows on

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

sea cliffs and rocky outcrops and sometimes in forest. It requires much water and is pollinated by birds and butterflies. If its seed falls on a nearby tree, such as ''

Metrosideros excelsa ''Metrosideros'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees, shrubs, and vines in the family Myrtaceae, mostly found in the Pacific region. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The ...

'', then it may grow as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

on it. The species has no obvious natural enemies and is listed as vulnerable because it grows naturally only on two islands. These islands are protected by the New Zealand Government as nature reserves and have a limited access. However, the plant is becoming popular for cultivation in private gardens. A related species, ''

Xeronema moorei ''Xeronema'' is a genus of flowering plants containing two species, '' Xeronema moorei'' from New Caledonia, and '' Xeronema callistemon'' (the Poor Knights lily) from the Poor Knights Islands and Taranga Island in New Zealand. The plants are ...

'', is found on the islands of

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, 1500 km to the northwest.Jan 16, 2006: Xeronema callistemon
/ref>

Growth

Plants grow from fresh falling seeds. Although they germinate easily, it might take 10–15 years for them to grow into the flowering size. They flower between September and December, peaking in October (spring in New Zealand).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3007658 Xeronemataceae Flora of New Zealand Plants described in 1924