Aciphylla congesta
Family
Apiaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
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.
ACICON
Chromosome number
2n = 22
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). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By 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.
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Brief description
Groups of blunt-leaved small spiky green clumps with ball-like white flowers on a long fleshy stalk
Distribution
Endemic. South Island; south Westland, western Otago, north-western Southland, Fiordland
Habitat
High rainfall fellfield, particularly where snow accumulates and exposed sites. 1200 - 2000 m a.s.l.
Features
Tufted herb forming clumps to 30 cm diam. Rosettes multiple. Leaves many, soft, striate, 1-pinnate; sheath thin, with hyaline margin, to 6 cm long, tapering from 20 mm to 7 mm wide; stipules c. 6.5 cm long x 5 mm wide, linear-oblong, abruptly narrowing to acicular tip; petioles to 8 cm long, flat, sometimes vestigial; internodes (inter-pinna spacing) to 10 mm long; primary pinnae in 2-3 pairs, laminae of pinna to c. 6 cm long x 5 mm wide, abruptly narrowing to pungent apex. Male flowering stem stout, 30 cm x c. 15 mm wide; lower bract sheaths broad, to 25 x 15 mm tapering to long pungent tips; lower bract lamina and stipules leaf-like. Umbels 6-12, crowded, forming a globose head c. 12 cm diam.; primary rays stout, c. 4 cm long, +/- whorled, subtended by whorl of bracts; umbellules several, crowded, to 2 cm diam., on slender rays c. 5 mm long. Female flowering stem similar, forming a globose head to 15 cm diam.; primary rays grooved, c. 60 mm long x 3 mm wide; involucral bracts whorled; bract sheath 10 mm long x 7 mm wide, submembranous; bract stipules and lamina to 4 cm long; umbellules to 3 cm diam., rays many, crowded. Fruit of two mericarps; mericarps narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 4.0-5.2 mm, with (3-4-)5 even narrowly winged ribs, 4 low indistinct ribs on vittae, vittae largely obscured
Similar taxa
Similar to other clump forming blunt-leafed species such as A. crosby-smithiana which has a larger sheath and wider leaflets and A. spedeni which has smaller simple leaves and the leaflets arranged fan-like
Flower colours
Cream, White
Life cycle
Winged schizocarps are dispersed primarily by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Etymology
aciphylla: From the Latin acicula ‘needle’ and the Greek phyllum ‘leaf’, meaning needle-leaf.
congesta: Crowded
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961), Mark and Adams (1995) and Webb and Simpson (2001).
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington
Mark, A.F; Adams, N.M. 1995. New Zealand alpine plants, 2nd Edition. Godwit Publishing, Auckland
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
Webb, C.J. & Simpson, M.J.A. 2001. Seeds of NZ gymnosperms and dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch