Brachyscome montana
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Simplified 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.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
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.
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.
Distribution
South Island. The exact extent of this species is unclear but it is known from inland South Canterbury and Central Otago mountains.
Habitat
Montane to alpine grassland and herbfield.
Substrate details
Schist, greywacke
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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Life cycle and dispersal
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.
Other information
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
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
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 | Data Deficient
2012 | Data Deficient
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NR, NStr, NS, RR, Sp, St
Referencing and citations
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 11(4): 285-309.
Attribution
Page edited by Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls (28 May 2022)