Celmisia philocremna
Common names
Eyre Mountains daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Subshrub with stout branchlets arising from a multicipital stock and forming an approximately hemispherical cushion up to 700 mm diameter. Branchlets stout, up to 4 mm diameter, dark, emitting cord-like roots. Living leaves imbricating and distributed along the upper part of branchlets. Lamina 15-25 × 3-5 mm, linear-oblong, widened slightly near the base, subobtuse at tip, margin strongly revolute; upper surface studded with short stalked glandular hairs, lower surface densely clad in felted white tomentum of crisped hairs. Sheath merging imperceptibly with lamina, membranous, densely tomentose on outer surface, glabrous on inner. Scape 50-80 × 2-3 mm, densely tomentose with long lustrous white hairs; bracts several, linear, tomentose to glabrate. Receptacle campanulate, 10-15 mm diameter. Involucral bracts in several series, imbricate, up to 12 mm long, subulate, acute, not recurved, both uniseriate and biseriate hairs present, margins densely fimbriate. Ray florets up to 25 mm long, limb wide and sparsely hairy, tube more so. In disc florets, corolla narrow funneliform, with both uniseriate and oblong biseriate eglandular hairs; stamen tip acute and noticeably elongated, anther tails sagittate; style bifid, the arms differentiated into a lower parallel-sided papillose portion and an upper long-triangular portion bearing long collecting hairs. Pappus bristles unequal, up to 6 mm long, c.25 in number, teeth short. Achene 4-5 X 0.8 mm, compressed, densely clad in long bifid hairs.
Similar taxa
A very distinctive species that is not easily confused with any other member of the genus. The tight cushion habit, excessively tomentose scapes and involucral bracts are especially diagnostic
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: Eyre Mountains (Eyre Creek)
Habitat
Confined to crevices and ledges on steep rock bluffs and ridges. In these sites it grows with Celmisia ramulosa, Helichrysum intermedium, Celmisia densiflora, Raoulia buchananii and Hebe biggarii.
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.
- 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, DPS, RR
Threats
A naturally uncommon species that does not appear to be actively threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
None (described in 1971)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - February
Fruiting
December - March
Life cycle and dispersal
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Can be grown from fresh seed but requires a free draining, moist soil. Best in shade or in an alpine house kept within a pot.
Other information
Cultivation
Occasionaly available from specialist native plant nurseries.
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.
CELPHI
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Previous conservation statuses
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.
- 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.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NR, NS, NStr, RR, Sp, St, TL
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Given, D.R. 1971: Two New Species of Celmisia Cass. (Compositae-Astereae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 9: 526-532
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 11: 285-309
Attribution
Description from Given (1971)