Brachyscome lucens
Common names
Ward Beach daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Simplified description
Daisy of calcareous substrates with narrowly attenuate, entire linear-spathulate leaves with strongly recurved leaf margins and indistinct petioles, upper surface mid-green, glossy.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Perennial herb, stoloniferous, stolons up to 5.0 mm diam., forming clumps of few to multiple rosettes. Leaves 15–40 × 4–8 mm, linear-spathulate to narrowly obovate, glabrous, coriaceous, glossy, green and sometimes suffused with purple, sparse glandular hairs at base, amphistomatic, midrib immersed above, midrib and laterals ridged beneath, gradually narrowing to v-shaped winged petiole; apex obtuse to rounded; margin entire, recurved, more-or-less irregular in outline; base attenuate; alternate on stolons, or clustered and forming rosettes on short lateral shoots. Peduncles 1.7–13.0 cm long, 1.0–1.8 mm wide, 1 per rosette; hairs short, stalked, glandular, dense and shorter below capitulum; bracts absent. Flowers 20–25 mm wide when open. Receptacle c. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, subconical, alveolate, glabrous. Involucre 5–8 mm wide; bracts 15–25, 1–2–(3) rows; outer bracts 4.0–4.6 mm long, 1.0–1.2 mm wide, oblong-elliptic, green suffused with red, densely to moderately glandular, apex obtuse; inner bracts smaller, 2.3–3.3 mm long, sparsely glandular or glabrous, margins hyaline, fimbriate, green suffused with purple. Ray florets 25–35, female; corolla limb 5.9–7.8 mm long, 1.3–1.5 mm wide, white with very pale purple-pink flush beneath, base attenuate to cuneate, apex obtuse to subacute; corolla tube 0.9–1.1 mm long, with sparse glandular hairs; ovary 1.4–1.7 mm long, glabrous, smooth; style 1.7–2.0 mm long, whitish-green; stigma 2-fid, arms 0.6–0.8 mm long, emergent from corolla. Disc florets 38–41, hermaphrodite; corolla 2.4–2.7 mm long, c. 0.7 mm wide, yellow, sparsely glandular, 5-lobed, stylar tube c. 0.4 mm long; filaments 1.5–1.7 mm long, anthers c. 0.3 mm long, basifixed; ovary 1.2–1.4 mm long, glabrous, smooth; style 1.9–2.1 mm long, whitish-green; stigma 2-fid, arms c. 0.5 mm long, emergent from corolla. Cypsela 2.5–3.0 mm long, 0.9–1.0 mm wide, narrowly obovate to obovate-elliptic, glabrous, smooth, compressed, light brown or yellow-brown, biconvex, apex rounded, base attenuate, margin with obtuse rib; pappus corona of few, scattered, erect bristles, c. 0.05 mm long.
Similar taxa
Brachyscome lucens is distinguished from other New Zealand species of Brachyscome in having simple, entire and glossy leaves, with strongly recurved margins and apices. Plants have been confused with Brachyscome longiscapa which has predominantly entire leaves, but sometimes plants occur with a few weakly toothed leaves; in this species the leaves are broader with obtuse bases, a distinct petiole, matt upper surface, yellow-green or brown-green colour, and flat or upturned margins. Brachyscome lucens is associated with widespread and common B. sinclairii which differs in having distinctly lobed/toothed leaves. Hybrids between these two species have been collected.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Marlborough—Flaxbourne River mouth and Ward Beach).
Habitat
Restricted to limestone outcrop where it grows on ledges, stable stony ground, and stony colluvium, Usually in shaded and/or moist sites.
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DPR, DPT, OL
Threats
As Brachyscome (a) (WELT SP010278; Ward), B. lucens has been assessed as Threatened, Nationally Critical A(3) by de Lange et al. (2018). The total area of occupancy of the species is ≤ 1 hectare. The qualifiers OL (one location) and DP (data poor) apply as the species is only known from limestone outcrops near Ward Beach, on the north side of Flaxbourne River mouth. Data poor refers the lack of population trend data.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None - first described in 2019
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Unknown.
Fruiting
Unknown.
Propagation technique
Not known from cultivation
Other information
Etymology
brachyscome: From Greek brachys ‘short’ and comus ‘hair’, refers to the lack of papys on the fruit
lucens: Shining
Chromosome number
2n = 18
Previous 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.
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, OL
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange PJ, Rolfe JR, Barkla JW, Courtney SP, Champion PD, Perrie LR, Beadel SM, Ford KA, Breitwieser I, Schonberger I, Hindmarsh-Walls R, Heenan PB, Ladley K. 2018. Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 22. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 82 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs22entire.pdf
Heenan PB, Molloy BPJ. 2019. Five new and Nationally Threatened taxa of Brachyscome, Cardamine, Convolvulus, Geranium and Ranunculus obligate to vulnerable limestone habitats, eastern South Island, New Zealand. Phytotaxa 415(1): 32–48. https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.415.1.2
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (5 September 2019). Description from Heenan & Molloy (2019).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Brachyscome lucens Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/brachyscome-lucens/ (Date website was queried)