Celmisia alpina
Common names
mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Tufted herb arising from a usually, much divided and closely branched woody stock up to c.60 mm long, pseudo-stems up to c. 20 mm long, close-set. Leaves very narrow-linear, subcoriaceous; lamina ± 15-30 × (0•5)-0.75-1 mm; upper surface canaliculate, grey-green, ± glabrous; lower densely clad in appressed soft white tomentum, midrib evident; apex acute, often shortly apiculate; margins strongly recurved, entire, narrowed to glabrous, pale, thin sheath c.10 × 1 mm, with evident midrib. Scape 30-50 mm long, very slender, finely grooved, ± clad in deciduous floccose hairs; bracts almost filiform, ascending, up to 10 mm long. Capitula 15-20 mm diameter. Involucral bracts 2-seriate, scarious, midrib evident, margins sparingly hairy, tips acute, dark; outer series c.7 mm long, narrow-ovate; inner c.9 mm long, narrowly linear-subulate to narrow-lanceolate. Ray-florets ± 12 mm long, white, tube very slender, limb widening to apex; disk-florets ± 5 mm long, tubular to very narrowly funnelform, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes narrow-cylindric, finely ribbed, c. 2.5-3.0 mm long, glabrous. Pappus-hairs white, slender, up to 5 mm long, very finely barbellate
Similar taxa
Celmisia alpina is part of the C. gracilenta - C. graminifolia complex. This complex is in urgent need of revision. Allan (1961) evidently thought it most similar to C. graminifolia, from which he distinguished it by its much narrower leaves (dimensions given….not > c.1 mm wide cf. …not < c.4 mm wide for C. graminifolia). In the field Celmisia alpina is chiefly recognised by its much smaller size and very narrow-linear leaves. Similar forms known as C. setacea Colenso (a name sometimes used by botanists) occur in the North Island (and probably the South Island too). They deserve further study.
Distribution
Endemic. South and Stewart Islands: Widespread. Similar forms occur in the North Island.
Habitat
montane to alpine. In mires and bogs and other similar poorly draining surfaces in herbfield, fell-field and subalpine shrubland.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Celmisia longifolia var. alpina Kirk
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - December
Fruiting
January - April
Life cycle and dispersal
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by the division of established plants. One of the few Celmisia that does well in cultivation. As with most Celmisia dislikes humidity and will not long tolerate drying out.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
OBL: Obligate Wetland
Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
celmisia: Apparently named after Kelmis, one of Idaean Dactyls, a group of skilled mythical beings associated with the Mother Goddess Rhea in Greek mythology. Kelmis, whose name means ‘casting’, was a blacksmith and childhood friend of Zeus, son of Rhea and later king of the gods. In Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, Kelmis is described as offending Zeus who turned him into adamant so he was as hard as a tempered blade
alpina: From the Latin alpes ‘the Alps’, refers to plants growing in mountainous areas
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.
CELALP
Chromosome number
2n = 216
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Government Printer, Wellington.
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
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961)
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.