Aciphylla leighii
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Detailed description
Distinctive stocky herb, close-set rosettes up to 70 mm in diameter forming a cushion-like plant up to 1 m across, taproot stout, deeply descending. Leaves approximately 5 cm long, spreading, 3-foliolate (including the diverging stipules); sheaths approximately 35 mm long, white with hyaline margins, thickening above and curving outwards, striate, narrowing upwards to 6 mm from base 10 mm wide, milky juice copious. Lamina about 16 mm x 4 mm, linear-oblong, dark green, shallowly canaliculate; margins cartilaginous, apex blunt to retuse (but with short mucro). Male plants with striate flowering stems up to about 5 cm long, surrounded by paniculately arranged compound umbels forming an inflorescence approximately 40-60 mm diameter. Primary rays 3-4, rather stout, unequal, up to approximately 40 mm long, invested by general involucre of leaf-like bracts about 20 mm long. Secondary umbels up to 20-25 mm diameter, with narrow-linear acicular bracteoles approximately 10 mm long (occasionally with trifoliolate lamina); rays 7-10, up to approximately 6 mm long. Tertiary umbels crowded, 5-6 mm long; bracteoles filiform. Sepals greenish, incurved, linear, acute, enlarging after petal-fall to 2 mm long, with short claw. Stamens exserted at anthesis; petals minute, white. Female plants not described in detail.
Similar taxa
Aciphylla dobsonii larger plant than A. leighii; leaves are longer at about 10 cm long, leaf tips are hard and very sharp, peduncles are very stout compared to rather slender in A. leighii.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, Fiordland, Darran Mountains.
Habitat
Confined to fellfield (1800-2000 m.a.s.l.).
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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: RR
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Apiaceae
Taxonomic notes
Rogers et. al., suggest this species may hybridise with Aciphylla congesta, as a possible explanation for the variation in leaf apices.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December - January
Fruiting
February - 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.
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.
ACILEI
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, St
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 469-470.
Lyttle, D. 2021 Personal Communication 14th December, Flowering times, Specimen collected used for Nancy Adams painting, circa 1969.
Mark, A. F. 2012. Above the Treeline: A Nature Guide to Alpine New Zealand. Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson. pg. 150.
Rogers, G., Torr, S., Coats, G., Rance, B., 1999. Aciphylla leighii - A Nival Zone Speargrass from the Darran Mountains, Fiordland. New Zealand Botanical Society Journal No 57. September 1999. Pg. 12-15.
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 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.