Celmisia cordatifolia var. cordatifolia
Common names
mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Woody-based herb with short branchlets arising from a sparsely multicipital stock, usually just below the soil surface; living leaves in rosettes at the tips several rosettes. Leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted into a pseudostem. Leaf lamina 40-120 × 20-50 mm, coriaceous, at first erect but later decumbent, cordate to ovate; upper surface often sulcate, concolorous, yellowish to glaucous-green, glabrous or with scattered white hairs when young; lower surface thickly clad in felted, dull, deep buff to dark chocolate brown hairs: tip acute; margins entire, slightly to moderately recurved, often with a rim of ferrugineous hairs; base prominently cordate; petiole up to twice lamina length, purple, covered in floccose ferrugineous hairs. Scape purple, clad in dense ferrugineous tomentum, up to 350 mm long; bracts numerous, erect, linear, monocephalous. Capitula up to 60 mm diameter. Phyllaries in several series, linear-subulate, erect, glabrous in lower part and densely brown-tomentose towards tip. Ray florets c. 25, ligulate, the limb linear-lanceolate, white. Disc florets c. 110, funneliform, yellow; tube with eglandular biseriate hairs. Achene fusiform cylindric, ribbed, 4-5 mm long, glabrous. Pappus unequal, 5-6 mm long, of 25-30 bristles.
Similar taxa
Could be confused with Celmisia traversii which is common south of the Wairau River. From that species Celmisia cordatifolia differs by its shorter leaves which are distinctly cordate, and yellowish- or glaucous-green rather than bright green. Celmisia cordatifolia var. similis, a doubtfully distinct taxon differs from var. cordatifolia by its thinner and more pointed leaves whose lamina margins are prominently rather than weakly recurved, and by the tomentum of lower surface which is closely appressed, lustrous, and coloured pale buff rather than rather thickly felted, dull, and coloured deep buff to chocolate brown. Celmisia cordatifolia var. similis is known only from a few gatherings all made from Mt Richmond in the Wairau Mountains. Celmisia cordatifolia var. brockettii differs by the lanceolate-cordate rather than cordate-ovate leaf. Very little is known about var. brockettii which was not regarded as distinct by Given (1984) but seems every bit as distinctive as var. similis which he did accept.
Distribution
Distribution: Endemic. South Island: Wairau Mountains (Mounts Fishtail, Old Man, Rintoul) Bryant Range (Mt Starveall, Duppa), Ben Nevis.
Habitat
Alpine (1300-1600 m a.s.l.). On skeletal soils and associated peat within rocky herbfield.
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
Threats
A Naturally Uncommon, narrow range endemic which though extremely localised is common in its few known localities and under no obvious human induced threats.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Celmisia petiolata var. cordatifolia (Buchanan) Kirk
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October - January
Fruiting
December - April
Life cycle
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Unknown. Probably easy from fresh seed that has been cold treated. However, like many Celmisia probably difficult to maintain in warm or humid climates.
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
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.
CELCVC
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Given, D.R. 1984: A taxonomic revision of Celmisia subgenus Pelliculatae section Petiolatae (Compositae—Astereae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 22: 139-158.
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
Fact Sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange (22 February 2009). Description based on Given (1984)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Celmisia cordatifolia var. cordatifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/celmisia-cordatifolia-var-cordatifolia/ (Date website was queried)