Celmisia hieraciifolia var. hieraciifolia
Common names
mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Medium tufted herb, stock usually simple, pseudo-stem ± 40 mm long. Lamina coriaceous, c.40-120 × 10-25 mm; oblong-obovate to elliptic-oblong; upper surface glabrous, sometimes slightly viscid, pale green when fresh; lower densely clad in closely appressed satiny pale yellow to buff or almost white tomentum, nerves conspicuous in lower part; obtuse, sometimes apiculate; margins crenate to crenate-dentate, teeth usually with distinct apiculus, slightly narrowed to broad grooved short petiole or directly into glabrous sheath c.20 × 10 mm Scape rather stout, 50-250 mm long, viscid with dense glandular hairs. Bracts linear to subulate, glandular-pubescent, lower up to 40 mm long. Capitula 20-50 mm diameter; involucral bracts ± 13 mm long, outer densely glandular-pubescent, linear-subulate, acute, midrib distinct, margins sometimes ± floccose. Ray-florets numerous, c.12 mm long, white, tube slender, limb narrow-linear. Disk-florets c.7 mm long, tubular to narrow-funnelform, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes c.5 mm long, strongly ribbed, cylindric to subfusiform; hairs usually few, weak. Pappus-hairs white to sordid-white, slender, up to c.6 mm long, finely barbellate.
Distribution
Endemic. North and South Islands. From the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges south to North Canterbury and Westland
Habitat
Montane to subalpine in grassland, herbfield, fellfield and debris slopes.
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
None
Taxonomic notes
The status of the three varieties of C. hieraciifolia needs critical investigation.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October - January
Fruiting
November - April
Life cycle and dispersal
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Unknown. Probably best grown from fresh seed and like many Celmisia this species will probably dislike high humidity and drying out
Other information
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
hieraciifolia: Having foliage like Hieracium (genus name from the word for hawk)
Chromosome number
2n = 108
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.