Abstract
The biological and ecological significance of the “spring annual” life‐history strategy in the New Zealand flora is examined for Myosurus minimus subsp. novae‐zelandiae (Ranunculaceae), Ceratocephala pungens (Ranunculaceae), and Myosotis pygmaea var. minutiflora (Boraginaceae) in terms of their biogeographies, habitats, population sizes, seed morphologies, plant communities, and relationships with co‐occurring exotic taxa. All three have predominantly eastern South Island and lower North Island distributions, two have contracted modern ranges, and all extant populations are centred on Central Otago. The ephemeral wetland habitat of Myosurus, the “desert” pavement habitat of Ceratocephala, and the turf and gravel habitat surrounding water bodies of Myosotis all share a strong summer soil‐moisture deficit. These genuine non‐forest habitats are compared with farming‐induced scabweed or mat vegetation on dry hillslopes as additional facultative habitat for all three taxa. Selection for this growth strategy probably accompanied mountain building in the mid to late Cenozoic with the creation of seasonally dry eastern climates. Small numbers of sites, small population sizes, and habitat vulnerability to weeds and land conversion result in a conservation status of “threatened” for all three taxa. The problem of nesting conservation goals and management strategies for spring annual habitat within the restoration goals for their surrounding, degraded dryland ecosystems is highlighted.