Celmisia ramulosa var. tuberculata
Common name
mountain daisy
Synonyms
None (first described 1942)
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Current conservation status
The threat classification 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) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website 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. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: Central Otago (mainly in the east)
Habitat
Upper montane to subalpine rocky places and fellfield
Features
Small shrub or subshrub with rather stout procumbent to ascending branched woody stems up to c.20 mm long; branchlets stiff, rather close-set, more or less 50 mm long. Leaves densely imbricate, erect, finally reflexed. Lamina c.5.0-10.0 × 1.5-2.0 mm, linear-oblong to subulate, coriaceous; upper surface glabrous or nearly so, pale green; lower surface densely clad in soft white tomentum obscuring midrib; margins strongly revolute, studded with minute papillae (these mingled with a few rather stout hairs); apex obtuse, more or less trigonous-cucullate; base passing into broad pale membranous glabrous sheath more or less = lamina, with distinct midrib. Scape c.50 mm long, slender, densely glandular-pubescent; bracts few, distinctly widened toward base, more or less 5 mm long, linear. Capitula 20-25 mm diameter; involucral bracts c.5 mm long, linear-oblong, acute to subacute, densely glandular-pubescent. Ray-florets linear oblong, 15 mm or longer, 2 mm broad, obtuse, thickened and incurved at the tip, disk-florets narrow-tubular, c.5 mm long. Achenes c.3-4 mm long, narrow-cylindric, obscurely ribbed, with a few hairs. Pappus-hairs fine, white to sordid-white, up to c.4 mm long, very minutely barbellate
Similar taxa
One of a small group of subshrub Celmisia which includes C. brevifolia, C. gibbsii, C. rupestris, C. lateralis and C. walkeri. From these species C. ramulosa is distinguished by the scape which is 100-400 mm long; by the lamina which is 5.0-10.0 x 1.5-2.0 mm, and by the leaf undersides which is clad in soft white tomentum. Celmisia ramulosa var. tuberculata differs from var. ramulosa by the leaf margin which is distinctly papillate-hairy rather than entire and glabrous
Flowering
November - February
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Fruiting
January - May
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild
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
Not commercially available.
Attribution
Description adapted from Allan (1961)
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I, Government Printer, Wellington.