The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Celmisia macmahonii var. hadfieldii

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)

Hadfield's Rock 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 - RR

Authority

Celmisia macmahonii var. hadfieldii W.Martin

Family

Asteraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CELMVH

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs - Composites

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island: Wairau Mountains (Mounts Fishtail, Rintoul, Richmond, and Royal Knob)

Habitat

Alpine. Restricted to rock-crevices and ledges along cliff faces

Features

Small subshrub arising from a hard, woody, deeply descending rootstock. Plants forming compact cushions up to c. 400 mm diameter; stems and branches stout, woody; branchlets very densely compacted with living leaves held in dense rosettes at the branchlet apices. Lamina c.25-30 × 4-5 mm, linear-subulate, rigid, coriaceous; both surfaces densely clad in buff to ferruginous long subappressed silky hairs; apex apiculate; margins slightly narrowed to petiole c. 6-7 mm. long; sheath c.15 × 7 mm, adaxially distinctly veined, glabrate, abaxially sparsely hairy. Scape c. 75-130 mm long, densely clad in floccose buff to ferruginous tomentum; bracts numerous, crowded, 20 × 1-2 mm long, linear-subulate, ascending, surfaces floccose. Capitula 20-25 mm diameter; involucral bracts linear-subulate, up to c.12 mm long, acute to acuminate, densely clad on both surfaces in long silky buff hairs. Ray-florets ± 12-15 mm long, white; limb oblong, distinctly 3-toothed; disk-florets tubular, flaring at teeth, 5-7 mm long. Achenes compressed-cylindric, grooved, ± 2 mm long; ribs clad in long ascending hairs. Pappus-hairs up to c. 6 mm long, slender, white, finely barbellate

Similar Taxa

C. macmahonii var. macmahonii, is very closely related, and differs mainly by its larger overall dimensions, and distinctly hairy leaves without apiculate apices. Celmisia macmahonii var. macmahonii is confined to Mt Stokes and nearby Macmahon

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

April - July

Propagation Technique

Can be grown from fresh seed and divisions of whole plants. Tricky and difficult to maintain in cultivation without specialist care and an alpine house.

Threats

A naturally uncommon species that does not appear to be actively threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 108

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 16 Apr 2014