Abrotanella inconspicua
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
Cream, Yellow
Detailed description
Forming moss-like patches 10 cm or more across, bright-green. Stock rather stout, multiple heads, emitting on short stolons densely clad in imbricate leaves, branches up to 3 cm. long; Leaves close-set along branches, 6-10 × 1 mm, coriaceous, erect to patent, awl-shaped, curved at tip, narrowly linear to linear-oblong to subulate-oblong, subacute, ciliolate near sheathing base; midrib prominent. Capitula solitary, approximately 3 mm. diameter, subsessile, invested by leaves, barely extend beyond them as the fruits ripen; phyllaries up to 3 mm long, linear-oblong, obtuse, scarious, nerves usually prominent. Florets 15-20; female with slender corolla-tube, 4-lobed; disk-florets sub-funnelform, usually 5-lobed. Achenes approximately 1-2 mm long, linear-clavate, distinctly to obscurely 4-ribbed, pubescent to glabrous.
Similar taxa
Similar to A. patearoa which has broader (1.5-2 mm) blunt leaves and flower stalks that elongate beyond the leaves as the fruits ripen.
Distribution
South Island, widespread on the higher mountains of Central Otago and the lakes district but extending west locally, to the Southern Alps in places.
Habitat
Low to High-Alpine 1200-2000 metres, in boggy ground in cushionfield vegetation, but not the most exposed sites and late snowbanks. Further west, it occurs locally in exposed snow tussock-herbfield and fellfield.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October-February
Fruiting
November-March
Life cycle and dispersal
Cypsela are primarily dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009)
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
abrotanella: Little Artemisia (known as Abrotanus by ancient herbalists)
inconspicua: Inconspicous
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.
ABRINC
Chromosome number
2n = 18
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: TL
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 695.
Mark, A. F. 2012. Above the Treeline: A Nature Guide to Alpine New Zealand. Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson. pg. 198.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 2009 Vol. 11 No. 4 pp. 285-309.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Mark (2012) & Allan (1961).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.