The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Celmisia haastii var. haastii

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
haastii: Honours the New Zealand geologist and botanist Sir Julius von Haast (1822-87)

Common Name(s)

Haast's 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 haastii Hook.f. var. haastii

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CELHVH

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, occurring south from about North Canterbury.

Habitat

Montane to alpine. Inhabiting grassland, herbfield, fellfield and other moist rocky places.

Features

Rather stout low-growing branching grey-green subshrub forming small to large patches; branchlets ascending to erect, lower parts covered by leaf remnants, upper part obscured by rosette-leaves. Lamina 30-80 × 10-28 mm, broadly elliptic-oblong to obovate-spathulate, subcoriaceous to coriaceous; upper surface glabrous, usually longitudinally furrowed, pale green; lower surface clad in closely appressed ± satiny tomentum, midrib tomentose but ± evident; apex obtuse to subacute; margins slightly recurved, very minutely distantly denticulate, cuneately narrowed to winged petiole c. 5 mm long. Sheath delicate, pale yellowish green, ± 20-30 × 5 mm; veins evident. Scape c. 50-150 mm long, densely tomentose to almost glabrous, rather stout to slender; bracts several or numerous, linear-subulate, acute to subacute, up to c. 2 mm long or more. Capitula 25-40 mm diameter; involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, membranous, softly hairy without, up to c. 12 mm long. Ray florets 15-20 mm long; limb narrow-oblong to narrow obovate-oblong, 3-5 toothed. Disk-florets funnelform, shortly 5-toothed, 6-8 mm long. Achenes narrow-cylindric, glabrous, 3-4 mm long. Pappus-hairs up to 5-6 mm long, very finely barbellate

Similar Taxa

Allied to C. discolor, C. incana, C. angustifolia, C. durietzii, C. lindsayi, C. bonplandii, C. hectorii and C. cockayneana. Of these Allan (1961) considered it closest to C. durietzii and C. cockayneana. From C. durietzii, C. haastii differs by the glabrous achenes and longer, wider leaves (30-80 × 10-28 mm cf. 30-60 × 7-10 mm) and pale yellowish-green rather than translucent sheath. From C. cockayneana it differs by the glabrous rather than hairy ahcenes and shorter, broader leaves (30-80 × 10-28 mm cf. 40-100 × 10-15 mm). Celmisia cockayneana a Marlborough endemic grows well north of the range of C. haastii. For distinctions between C. haastii var. haastii and var. tomentosa see var. tomentosa

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

December - March

Propagation Technique

Difficult. Best grown from fresh seed. Dislikes humidity.

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