Aciphylla dissecta
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
A stout rosette forming tufted higher-altitude herb. The dark green spiky feathery tufts have clusters of white flowers presented on a thick green stalk.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Herb forming stout tufts to 30-40 cm tall in flower. Rosettes usually single. Leaves many, stiff, coriaceous, (2)-3-pinnate, to 30 cm long; sheath narrow, up to 25-35 × 3 mm; stipules almost filiforme, usually about 10 mm long, sometimes forked, sharply pointed; petioles 10-15 mm long, inter-pinna spacing short; primary pinnae in 8-10 pairs, linear-oblong, usually 20-50 mm long; secondary pinnae further cut into several pungent, ascending pinnules to 25 × 1-1.5 mm. Female flowering stem stout, grooved, approximately 290-310 × 10 mm; flowering stem bracts leaflike, lower bract sheaths 25-35 × 5 mm wide, with scarious margins, lower bract stipules. Fruit 4.5-6 mm long, mericarps oblong-elliptic, evenly winged, 5 ribs, vittae obscured.
Similar taxa
Most similar to Aciphylla divisa of southern Westland and western Fiordland, which has less divided leaves and also A. dieffenbachii of the Chatham Islands wich is usually a much larger plant found only on some of the Chatham Islands.
Distribution
Endemic. Te Ika-a-Māui | North Island, Tararua Ranges.
Habitat
Low alpine (1000 - 1600 m a.s.l.), snow tussock grass-herbfield. Often hidden amongst tussocks unless flowering (or sat on).
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(October-)November - January.
Fruiting
January - March.
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.
dissecta: Dissected
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.
ACIDIS
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
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;
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 (1005) and Webb and Simpson (2001).
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.