The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Celmisia bellidioides

Etymology

Celmisia: Apparently named after Kelmis, one of Idaean Dactyls, a group of skilled mythical beings associated with the Mother Goddess Rhea in Greek mythology. Kelmis, whose name means ‘casting’, was a blacksmith and childhood friend of Zeus, son of Rhea and later king of the gods. In Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, Kelmis is described as offending Zeus who turned him into adamant so he was as hard as a tempered blade
bellidioides: like Bellis, the English daisy

Common Name(s)

green cushion mountain daisy

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Celmisia bellidioides Hook.f.

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CELBEL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island: from Nelson and Marlborough to Southland.

Habitat

Montane to subalpine in wet rocky and gravelly places in gorges and along streamsides. Often near waterfalls

Features

Creeping much-branched mat-forming herb; main stems slender to rather stout, slightly woody at base; branches much-divided, prostrate, rooting, clad in long persistent leaf-remnants; branchlets clad at apex in close rosettes of spreading living leaves. Lamina subcoriaceous, almost fleshy, glabrous, narrowly obovate-oblong to oblong to spathulate, 7-15 × 3-6 mm; upper surface dark green, glossy; lower paler; midrib impressed above, prominent below. Apex rounded; margins entire or sometimes obscurely toothed, narrowed to ± floccose sheath c.5 mm long. Scape slender, up to c.50 mm long, glabrous or with sparse white hairs; bracts numerous, narrow-linear, obtuse to subacute, lower up to c.10 mm long. Capitula c.20 mm diameter; involucral bracts green or pale-green, linear- to lanceolate-oblong, glabrous, thin, up to 10 mm. long. Ray-florets numerous, c.11 mm long; tube very slender, occasionally with sparse hairs; limb narrow-obovate. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, c.6 mm long; teeth minute, triangular. Achenes compressed-cylindric, ribbed, 3-4 mm long, ± densely clad in short ascending silky hairs. Pappus-hairs up to 5 mm long, slender, white to rufous, very finely or hardly barbellate

Similar Taxa

Most similar to the naturally uncommon, Eyre Range endemic Celmisia thomsonii from which it is easily distinguished by its dark to light green, glossy upper leaf surfaces and uniformly white ray-florets. The upper leaf surface of Celmisia thomsonii is dull green, and the ray-florets are often tinged pink.

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

December - March

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Best grown from fresh seed. Can be grown by dividing established plants. Does best in a shaded site planted within a permanently moist, free draining soil.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 108

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 15 Aug 2014