Brachyscome montana
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
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.
BRAMNT
Chromosome number
2n = 18
Current conservation status
The threat classification 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. Authors: By 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. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Data Deficient
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Data Deficient
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Brief description
A small perennial herb with petiolate, fleshy and hairy leaves, generally with lobed margins. The white and yellow flowers are composite and daisy like.
Distribution
South Island. The exact extent of this species is unclear but the species is known from inland South Canterbury and Central Otago mountains.
Habitat
Montane to alpine grassland and herbfield
Features
Plants branching closely to form small dense clumps. Rootstock short, 2-3 mm in diameter with many slender roots. Leaves radical, 2-3 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, linear obovate-spathulate, rather fleshy, greyish green, surfaces and margins closely dotted with small stiff glandular hairs. Petiole as long or twice as long as the leaf blade, flat above, grooved and rounded beneath. Leaf blades differing in shape and in the division of their margins, rounded or narrowed to the petiole, sometimes almost entire, more usually with 2-7 irregularly arranged, conspicuous, rounded lobes. Scapes 4-6 cm. long, rather stout, pale brown, naked or with a single linear, acute bract, glandular hairy like the leaves. Flowerheads 1 cm diameter, involucral bracts 5 mm. long, in 3 series, linear oblong, acute, glandular hairy, with scarious tips. Ray florets 5 mm long, in 2 series, linear obovate, rounded at the tip, much recurved, white. Disc florets numerous, yellowish.
(Description adaped from Simpson,1945.)
Similar taxa
Species in the genus Brachyscome are not well defined and can be hard to distinguish from each other. In the case of B. montana, the diversiform, greyish green, glandular hairy and somewhat fleshy leaves are features that can be used to separate the species from others of the genus.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Life cycle
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily propagated from plant divisions.
Plants should not be removed from public conservation areas without a permit.
Substrate
Schist, greywacke
Etymology
brachyscome: From Greek brachys ‘short’ and comus ‘hair’, refers to the lack of papys on the fruit
montana: From the Latin mons ‘mountain’, meaning growing on mountains
Attribution
Page edited by Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls (28 May 2022)
References and further reading
Simpson, G. 1945: Notes on Some New Zealand Plants and Descriptions of New Species (No. 4). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 75: 187–202.
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