Celmisia dallii
Common name
Dall’s 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.
CELDAL
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: Westerly, and mostly present in the mountains of North-West Nelson extending south to about Westport.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine grassland, herbfield. Often on calcareous rocks and soils derived from these.
Features
Robust tufted, somewhat viscid herb arising from usually simple, rarely multicipital stock up to 800 mm long, pseudo-stem 600-700 mm long. Lamina 80-200 × 30-50 mm, obovate-oblong to obovate-lanceolate, coriaceous, subacute to obtuse, usually apiculate; upper surface glabrous bright to dark green, midrib and main veins evident; lower densely clad in appressed satiny white to pale buff tomentum, midrib stout, grooved, main veins evident through tomentum. Margins slightly upturned, sharply minutely toothed, narrowed to base, then suddenly widened to thinly coriaceous, glabrous, prominently ribbed sheath 40-50 × 18-22 mm. Scape stout, ± flattened, strongly ribbed, 150-450 mm long. Bracts usually numerous, foliaceous, tomentum as in leaves, lower 25-50 × 6-12 mm; uppermost forming a pseudo-involucre. Capitula 35-70 mm diameter. Involucral bracts, ± viscid, 2-seriate, outer ovate-oblong, foliaceous, similar to upper bracts; inner ± 12 × 2 mm, membranous, viscid, ciliate. Ray-florets numerous, c.15 mm. long, white, tube slender, limb narrow, gradually widening to 3-4-toothed apex. Disk-florets narrow-tubular to narrow-funnelform, c.7 mm long, teeth triangular. Anthers distinctly tailed. Achenes compressed narrow-cylindric, 2-4 mm long, pilose on rather weak ribs. Pappus-hairs slender, up to c.7 mm long, minutely barbellate.
Similar taxa
Allied to Celmisia hieraciifolia and C. holosericea species with which C. dallii shares a a finely denticulate leaf margin that is not obscured by indumentum. From C. holosericea and C. hieraciifolia, C. dallii is distinguished by it smuch larger overall size, and scapes which bear leaf-like (foliaceous) bracts
Flowering
November - February
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Fruiting
December - April
Life cycle
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
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. As a rule difficult to maintain.
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
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