Jovellana repens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jovellana repens
Scientific classification
Genus:	Jovellana
Species:	repens
Estimated range

Jovellana repens is a special plant that grows only in New Zealand. It belongs to the Calceolariaceae family. You can find it on both the North and South Islands. This plant has small green leaves and pretty white flowers. Inside the flowers, you'll see tiny purple spots.

What it Looks Like

Jovellana repens is a plant that lives for many years. It grows like a mat, spreading out about 1 to 2 meters wide. Its stems can be dark red or green and are 2 to 3 centimeters long.

The leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long. They hang from hairy stalks called petioles, which are 5 to 12 millimeters long. The top of the leaves is dark green or reddish-green. The underside is a lighter green or light red.

This plant has groups of flowers called inflorescences. Each group usually has two or three flowers, but sometimes up to five. These flowers are a bit hidden by the leaves. Each flower is about 6 millimeters wide. They have small leaf-like parts called sepals, which are 1 to 2 millimeters long. The flowers are white with tiny purple spots inside. They have two curved, cup-like parts.

Reproduction and Seeds

Jovellana repens produces fruit from October to February. Inside the fruit, there are dark red-brown seeds. Each seed is very tiny, only about 0.35 to 0.5 millimeters long. These seeds are hidden inside egg-shaped capsules. The capsules are 6 to 7 millimeters long. The wind helps to spread these seeds. It's also possible that water helps them travel to new places.

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  The pretty flowers of Jovellana repens

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  The underside of a Jovellana repens leaf

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  The top side of a Jovellana repens leaf

Where the Name Comes From

The first part of the plant's name, Jovellana, honors a person named Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos. He lived in the 18th century and supported the study of plants. The second part, repens, comes from a Latin word. It means "to creep." This describes how the plant grows by spreading along the ground.

Where it Grows

You can find Jovellana repens in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It grows from Mt Pirongia and Te Moehau in the north, all the way south. This plant likes shady spots. It often grows on the sides of streams. You can also see it on banks and cliffs in forests, from lowlands to mountain areas.

How to Tell it Apart

Jovellana repens looks a lot like another plant called Jovellana sinclairii. But you can tell them apart by how they grow. Jovellana repens creeps along the ground. Jovellana sinclairii grows into small bushes. Jovellana repens also has smaller leaves and flowers. Its flower groups usually have fewer flowers, often just two or three.

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  Jovellana repens growing on a bank

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  Jovellana sinclairii growing as a shrub

It can also look similar to Brachyglottis sciadophila. But Brachyglottis sciadophila grows like a woody vine, not a creeping plant. It has long stems that rarely branch out. When Brachyglottis sciadophila is flowering, it's easy to tell the difference. It has bright yellow flowers, while Jovellana repens has white ones.

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  The leaf shape of Jovellana repens

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  The leaf shape of Brachyglottis sciadophila

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  The flowers of Jovellana repens

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  The bright yellow flowers of Brachyglottis sciadophila

Sometimes, people might confuse Jovellana repens with Veronica jovellanoides. However, Veronica jovellanoides has round, spoon-shaped leaves. Its flower groups have one to seven flowers that are not pouched. Also, its flowers are magenta (a purplish-red color).

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  The flowers of Jovellana repens

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  The flower of Veronica jovellanoides

Images for kids

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  Brachyglottis sciadophila