The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Celmisia hieraciifolia var. hieraciifolia

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
hieraciifolia: Having foliage like Hieracium (genus name from the word for hawk)

Common Name(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 hieraciifolia Hook.f. var. hieraciifolia

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. North and South Islands. From the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges south to North Canterbury and Westland

Habitat

Montane to subalpine in grassland, herbfield, fellfield and debris slopes.

Features

Medium tufted herb, stock usually simple, pseudo-stem ± 40 mm long. Lamina coriaceous, c.40-120 × 10-25 mm; oblong-obovate to elliptic-oblong; upper surface glabrous, sometimes slightly viscid, pale green when fresh; lower densely clad in closely appressed satiny pale yellow to buff or almost white tomentum, nerves conspicuous in lower part; obtuse, sometimes apiculate; margins crenate to crenate-dentate, teeth usually with distinct apiculus, slightly narrowed to broad grooved short petiole or directly into glabrous sheath c.20 × 10 mm Scape rather stout, 50-250 mm long, viscid with dense glandular hairs. Bracts linear to subulate, glandular-pubescent, lower up to 40 mm long. Capitula 20-50 mm diameter; involucral bracts ± 13 mm long, outer densely glandular-pubescent, linear-subulate, acute, midrib distinct, margins sometimes ± floccose. Ray-florets numerous, c.12 mm long, white, tube slender, limb narrow-linear. Disk-florets c.7 mm long, tubular to narrow-funnelform, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes c.5 mm long, strongly ribbed, cylindric to subfusiform; hairs usually few, weak. Pappus-hairs white to sordid-white, slender, up to c.6 mm long, finely barbellate.

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

November - April

Propagation Technique

Unknown. Probably best grown from fresh seed and like many Celmisia this species will probably dislike high humidity and drying out

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