Celmisia bellidioides
Common name
green cushion mountain daisy
Synonyms
None
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.
CELBEL
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Current conservation status
The conservation 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). 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.
2012 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: from Nelson and Marlborough to Southland.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine in wet rocky and gravelly places in gorges and along streamsides. Often near waterfalls
Features
Creeping much-branched mat-forming herb; main stems slender to rather stout, slightly woody at base; branches much-divided, prostrate, rooting, clad in long persistent leaf-remnants; branchlets clad at apex in close rosettes of spreading living leaves. Lamina subcoriaceous, almost fleshy, glabrous, narrowly obovate-oblong to oblong to spathulate, 7-15 × 3-6 mm; upper surface dark green, glossy; lower paler; midrib impressed above, prominent below. Apex rounded; margins entire or sometimes obscurely toothed, narrowed to ± floccose sheath c.5 mm long. Scape slender, up to c.50 mm long, glabrous or with sparse white hairs; bracts numerous, narrow-linear, obtuse to subacute, lower up to c.10 mm long. Capitula c.20 mm diameter; involucral bracts green or pale-green, linear- to lanceolate-oblong, glabrous, thin, up to 10 mm. long. Ray-florets numerous, c.11 mm long; tube very slender, occasionally with sparse hairs; limb narrow-obovate. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, c.6 mm long; teeth minute, triangular. Achenes compressed-cylindric, ribbed, 3-4 mm long, ± densely clad in short ascending silky hairs. Pappus-hairs up to 5 mm long, slender, white to rufous, very finely or hardly barbellate
Similar taxa
Most similar to the naturally uncommon, Eyre Range endemic Celmisia thomsonii from which it is easily distinguished by its dark to light green, glossy upper leaf surfaces and uniformly white ray-florets. The upper leaf surface of Celmisia thomsonii is dull green, and the ray-florets are often tinged pink.
Flowering
November - February
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Fruiting
December - March
Life cycle
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Best grown from fresh seed. Can be grown by dividing established plants. Does best in a shaded site planted within a permanently moist, free draining soil.
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
bellidioides: Like Bellis, the English daisy
Where To Buy
Occasionally available from specialist native plant nurseries.
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961)
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