The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Celmisia cordatifolia var. cordatifolia

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

Common Name(s)

Mountain Daisy

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Range Restricted

Qualifiers

2012 - Sp
2009 - Sp

Authority

Celmisia cordatifolia Buchanan var. cordatifolia

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CELCVC

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

Celmisia petiolata var. cordatifolia (Buchanan) Kirk

Distribution

Distribution: Endemic. South Island: Wairau Mountains (Mounts Fishtail, Old Man, Rintoul) Bryant Range (Mt Starveall, Duppa), Ben Nevis.

Habitat

Alpine (1300-1600 m a.s.l.). On skeletal soils and associated peat within rocky herbfield.

Features

Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a sparsely multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips several rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina 40-120 × 20-50 mm, coriaceous, at first erect but later decumbent, cordate to ovate; upper surface often sulcate, concolorous, yellowish to glaucous-green, glabrous or with scattered white hairs when young; lower surface thickly clad in felted, dull, deep buff to dark chocolate brown hairs: tip acute; margins entire, slightly to moderately recurved, often with a rim of ferrugineous hairs; base prominently cordate; petiole up to twice lamina length, purple, covered in floccose ferrugineous hairs. Scape purple, clad in dense ferrugineous tomentum, up to 350 mm long; bracts numerous, erect, linear, monocephalous. Capitula up to 60 mm diameter. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, glabrous in lower part and densely brown-tomentose towards tip. Ray florets c. 25, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets c. 110, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform cylindric, ribbed, 4-5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal, 5-6 mm long, of 25-30 bristles.

Similar Taxa

Could be confused with Celmisia traversii which is common south of the Wairau River. From that species Celmisia cordatifolia differs by its shorter leaves which are distinctly cordate, and yellowish- or glaucous-green rather than bright green. Celmisia cordatifolia var. similis, a doubtfully distinct taxon differs from var. cordatifolia by its thinner and more pointed leaves whose lamina margins are prominently rather than weakly recurved, and by the tomentum of lower surface which is closely appressed, lustrous, and coloured pale buff rather than rather thickly felted, dull, and coloured deep buff to chocolate brown. Celmisia cordatifolia var. similis is known only from a few gatherings all made from Mt Richmond in the Wairau Mountains. Celmisia cordatifolia var. brockettii differs by the lanceolate-cordate rather than cordate-ovate leaf. Very little is known about var. brockettii which was not regarded as distinct by Given (1984) but seems every bit as distinctive as var. similis which he did accept.

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Fruiting

December - April

Propagation Technique

Unknown. Probably easy from fresh seed that has been cold treated. However, like many Celmisia probably difficult to maintain in warm or humid climates.

Threats

A Naturally Uncommon, narrow range endemic which though extremely localised is common in its few known localities and under no obvious human induced threats.

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 31 May 2014