Aciphylla crenulata
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
Herb with sparse spiky leaves which have a thickened notched margin. Inconspicuous unless flowering.
Detailed description
Slender herb forming lax tufts to 60 cm tall in flower. Rosettes single or several. Leaves few, flexible, rather flaccid, 1-pinnate, to 150 × 5 mm; sheath broad, thin; stipules slender, spinulose; primary pinnae in (1-)2-3(-4) pairs, laminae of pinna widely spaced, linear, 50-150 × 2-5 mm wide, midrib often bright red, margins thickened and finely crenulate, tapering to pungent point. Male flowering stem slender, inflorescence elongate, dense-flowered, 100-300(-400) mm long; bracts many, spreading; bract sheaths short, mebranous; bract stipules short, pungent; bract lamina slender, to 4 cm long. Umbels and umbellules on long slender rays. Female flowering stem denser, forming an inflorescence to 60 cm long; lower bracts often empty; peduncles and rays long, slender. Fruit of two mericarps; mericarps narrowly oblong-elliptic to elliptic, (6.0-)6.5-9.0 mm, with 3-4 even narrowly winged ribs, other ribs not evident, vittae evident as narrow dark ribs between wings.
Similar taxa
Most similar in appearance to Aciphylla lyallii which is larger and whose leaves are variably either simple or with up to 7 leaflets or A. colensoi which is only known from NW Nelson and which is also a larger plant and with 2-pinnate leaves.
Distribution
Endemic. Te Waipounamu | South Island, close to and west of Main divide.
Habitat
Low alpine (900 - 1700 m a.s.l.), higher rainfall snow tussock-herbfield.
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 | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - February.
Fruiting
February - April.
Life cycle and dispersal
Winged schizocarps are dispersed primarily by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Other information
Etymology
aciphylla: From the Latin acicula ‘needle’ and the Greek phyllum ‘leaf’, meaning needle-leaf.
crenulata: From the Latin crenus ‘notch’, meaning with notches which give a leaf margin the appearance of having small rounded teeth
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.
ACICRE
Chromosome number
2n = 22
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 | Qualifiers: DP
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened
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 HH. 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume I. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 1085 p.
Mark AF & Adams NM. 1995. New Zealand alpine plants, 2nd Edition. Godwit Publishing, Auckland.
Wilson HD. 1996. Wild plants of Mt Cook National Park. Manuka Press, Christchurch.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.
Webb CJ, Simpson MJA. 2001. Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch. 428 p.
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961), Mark and Adams (1995), Webb and Simpson (2001) and Wilson (1996).
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.