Cassinia amoena
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CASAMO
Chromosome number
2n = 26-28
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CD, ST, OL
2004 | Range Restricted
Brief description
Small bushy shrub inhabiting coastal cliffs of the northern tip of the North Island. Twigs coated in white fuzz. Leaves small, narrow, dark green, scattered along twigs, wrinkled, with white fuzz underneath. Flowers white, in round clusters at tip of twigs. Small seed with a hair tuft at the tip.
Distribution
North Island. Northland - Surville cliffs only.
Habitat
Seaside cliffs.
Detailed description
Shrub occasionally up to 1 m tall. Branchlets stout, greyish-tomentose. Leaves more or less 6-18 x 2-3 mm, finally spreading, narrow linear-obovate to narrow-spathulate on short erect petioles, coriaceous, glabrous. above when mature, densely white-tomentose below, margins slightly revolute. Capitula numerous, in close corymbs, pedicels short. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, outer tomentose to pubescent on back, inner with white radiating tips; forming a narrow-turbinate involucre 4-5 mm long. Florets 4-6; scales of receptacle absent or up to 2, white-tipped. Achenes approximately 1 mm long, pubescent to silky-hairy; pappus-hairs up to 3.5 mm long, slightly thickened at tips.
Similar taxa
Ozothamnus leptophylla has smaller leaves (2-4 x 1-2.5 mm); and, is generally a larger specimen (2-3 m); widespread throughout the country, C. amoena is only found in the Surville cliffs area.
Flowering
August-December
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
September-January
Etymology
cassinia: Named after French botanist Alexandre de Cassini.
amoena: From the Latin amoenus ‘delightful, beautiful, pleasing’
TAXONOMIC NOTES
In regard to hybridism discussed in Allan (1961). The N.Z. members of the genus are still inadequately studied, especially with reference to the discrimination between true-breeding and hybrid forms. Carse describes his x C. amoenatorta (C. amoena × retorta) and remarks: “There appear to be three predominant forms: (a) Very near to C. amoena but with shorter leaves, 6-9 mm. long (10-17 mm. in C. amoena), tomentum of leaves and branchlets more yellow, heads rather broader; (b) similar, but smaller in leaves which are more yellow; (c) resembles C. retorta (now a synonym of Ozothamnus leptophylla) but with few florets in the heads. North Island: North Cape District on slope above Kerr Point, where C. amoena, C. retorta and intermediate forms are not uncommon. In the extreme north of Auckland Province, the tomentum on the branchlets and leaves of C. retorta is much more yellow than that on more southern plants which is usually whitish.” C. retorta also appears to cross with C. vauvilliersii (now O. vauvilliersii), as does C. leptophylla.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961).
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 727, 729.