Brachyglottis adamsii
Synonyms
Senecio adamsii Cheeseman, Senecio pachyphyllus Cheeseman nom. illegit.
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
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.
BRAADA
Chromosome number
2n = 60
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) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. 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. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Simplified description
Grey bushy subalpine shrub bearing obvious clusters of yellow daisy flowers. Young growth sticky. Leaves grey, leathery, furry underneath, margins curved, on 1-2cm long stalk. Flowers 2cm wide, bright yellow, with yellow radiating petals.
Distribution
Endemic. North and South Islands from Mt Holdsworth south to the mountains of north Marlborough and Nelson.
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine 1100-1600 m, shrubland and fellfield.
Detailed description
Much-branched shrub up to 1 m or more tall; viscid on young branchlets, leaves and inflorescence. Leaves close-set on branchlets; lamina 25-55 x 10-20 mm, coriaceous, glabrous and somewhat rugose above, clad below in dense white to pale buff appressed tomentum, elliptic to obovate-oblong, obtuse; margins entire, revolute; petiole 10-20 mm long, widened to persistent sheathing base. Inflorescence loosely subcorymbose on peduncle approximately 2-3 mm. diameter, with few foliaceous bracts. Capitula 5-15, up to 20 mm diameter; phyllaries narrow-oblong, subacute, ciliate on margins and with tuft of hairs at apex. Ray-florets 10-15; ligules yellow, spreading. Achenes 3.5 mm long, sub-compound, grooved, pubescent, becoming glabrous; pappus-hairs up to 6 mm. long, finely barbellate.
Similar taxa
Similar to B. revoluta, which is a smaller shrub (up to 0.5 m high); leaves are larger (33-60×20-30 mm), less sticky, and thinner; geographically only co-existing in the deep south (not present in North Island).
Flowering
January-February
Flower colours
Yellow
Fruiting
February-March
Life cycle
Pappate achenes are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Etymology
brachyglottis: Name comes from the Greek words brachus meaning “short” and glottis meaning “the vocal apparatus of the larynx”
adamsii: Named for James Adams (1839-1906) an exceptional amateur botanist who established the Thames High School. In 1906 he died suddenly whilst still the headmaster of the high school. He is buried in the Tararu Cemetery, Thames. James Adams was a friend of the first Auckland Museum Director Thomas Cheeseman whom he often accompanied in the field. Cheeseman commemorated Adams contributions to New Zealand Botany with the species Brachyglottis adamsii, Celmisia adamsii, and Trilepidea adamsii. His granddaughter was Jacqueline Nancy Adams (1926-2007) botanical illustrator, artist, botanist and phycologist whose name is also commemorated by a number of marine seaweeds.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Allan (1961) and Mark (2012).
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.
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. pg. 749.
Mark, A. F. 2012. Above the Treeline: A Nature Guide to Alpine New Zealand. Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson. pg. 232.
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