Brachyscome radicata
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Simplified description
Found in a wide range of habitats this small perennial herb has petiolate, generally bright green leaves with lobed margins. The white and yellow flowers are composite and daisy like.
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
The species is a perennial rosette or sparingly branched herb. Leaves spathulate or cuneately narrowed to a winged petiole and obovate to oblong, with betwen (1)–3–4–(6) pairs of rounded or sharp teeth or lobes (seldom lyrate-pinnatifid); glabrous or sparsely to densely clothed in short or long-stalked glandular hairs on both surfaces and leaf margins; 12–60–(120) × 3–20 mm. Peduncles often have up to 3 leaves along their length, these becoming reduced and scale-like higher up the peduncle; sometimes naked or sparsely to densely clothed in glandular hairs especially near capitulum; 0.6–2 mm diameter, (25)–50–120–(150) mm long at flowering; these can extend to 150–230 mm long at fruiting. Involucral bracts elliptic-oblong, obtuse to subacute and often fimbriate at their apex, and usually glandular at least near base, rarely glabrous, 2.5–4 mm long. Ray florets numerous, usually white, rarely flushed with pink or lilac, 5–8 mm long. Disc florets yellow. Achenes obovoid-oblong in shape, compressed or subterete, glandular, 2.5–4 mm long. Pappus a few bristles 0.1–0.5 mm long. (Description adapted from Webb et al. 1988)
Similar taxa
Species in the genus Brachyscome are not well defined and can be hard to distinguish from each other. Brachyscome radicata is most similar to B. sinclairii and B. montana, with some features overlapping with both these two species. It can be distinguished from B. sinclairii by the glandular achenes, the more branched habit, and the leaves which generally have fewer teeth with these being close to the apex of the leaf. Brachyscome sinclairii has strongly compressed, eglandular achenes, is less branched and generally has more leaf teeth. Brachyscome montana is apparently distinct from both B. radicata and B. sinclairii due to its diversiform, greyish green, glandular hairy and somewhat fleshy leaves, but both B. radicata and B. sinclairii can have glandular hairy leaves, so this is not a good distinguishing trait.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from the central North Island south), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Habitat
The species is found in a wide range of habitats from sea level to high alpine zone. Habitats include coastal herbfield, shrubland, forest margins and clearings, grassland, herbfield, cliffs, banks and river edges.
Substrate details
Many rock types and substrates including peat, alluvium, greywacke, schist, sandstone, and others.
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 | Not Threatened
Threats
Not Threatened, uncommon in the North Island
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Brachyscome radicata var. polita (Kirk) Allan; Brachyscome radicata var. dubia (Kirk) Allan; Brachyscome odorata Hook.f.; Brachyscome radicata var. radicata Hook.f.; Brachyscome radicata var. thomsonii (Kirk) Allan; Brachyscome radicata var. membranifolia (Kirk) Allan
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(October)–December–March–(May) (Webb et al., 1988)
Life cycle and dispersal
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easy from rooted pieces and fresh seed. Grows very well in a range of climates but in drought prone areas prefers a shaded site or permanently damp (not saturated) soil. An attractrive and rather variable daisy, which could benefit from some cultivar selection.
Other information
Etymology
brachyscome: From Greek brachys ‘short’ and comus ‘hair’, refers to the lack of papys on the fruit
radicata: Long-rooted
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.
BRARAD
Chromosome number
2n = 90
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 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: TL
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 “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Hooker JD. 1853. The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839–1843, under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross. II. Flora Novae-Zelandiae. Part I. Flowering plants. Lovell Reeve, London, UK.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309.
Webb CJ, Sykes WR, Garnock-Jones PJ. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. Botany Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Christchurch, NZ. 1365 p.
Attribution
Page edited by Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls (29 May 2022)