Celmisia rupestris
Common names
mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Prostrate or straggling shrub with stems up to ± 1 m long and 10 mm diameter, branched; branchlets rather slender to stout, up to c. 150 mm long. Leaves numerous, densely imbricate; lamina 10-25 × 2.5-3.0 mm, narrowly linear-spathulate, coriaceous, gradually narrowed to sheath; upper surface rather densely clad in soft white not appressed hairs, midrib concealed by hairs; lower surface similarly clad, but more densely so; apex obtuse to subacute, usually apiculate; margins strongly revolute, but not to midrib. Sheath broad, membranous, hairy. Scape glandular-pubescent, slender, up to ± 150 mm long; bracts numerous, lower leaf-like, lamina 9.0-10.0 mm long expanding into sheath. Capitula 25-30 mm diameter; involucral bracts in two series, narrow-linear, c. 5 mm long, glandular-pubescent, ± clad in floccose hairs Ray-florets many, narrow, clawed, limb c.6 mm long, white; disk-florets 3.8-4.1 mm long, tubular. Achenes subcylindric, 2.0-2.5 mm long, ribs with rather sparse hairs. Pappus-hairs sordid-white, up to 5 mm long
Similar taxa
One of a small group of subshrub Celmisia which includes C. brevifolia, C. gibbsii, C. lateralis, C. ramulosa and C. walkeri. From these species C. rupestris is perhaps most similar to C. gibbsii from which it is distinguished by the upper leaf surface which is densely clad in white hair.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: North-West Nelson (Kahurangi National Park) - Mount Glasgow, Mount Peel (Cobb), Cobb Valley, Aorere Peak
Habitat
Upper montane to alpine. On cliff faces, rock outcrops and amongst rocks or in fellfield
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, DPS, DPT
Threats
A naturally uncommon species that does not appear to be actively threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October - February
Fruiting
November - May
Life cycle
Pappate cypselae are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Difficult. Best grown from fresh seed but can be grown from cuttings. Should be planted in a free draining, moist soil. Excellent in a pot in an alpine house, or planted in a south-facing rockery. Dislikes humidity and will not tolerate drying out.
Other information
Cultivation
Occasionally 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
rupestris: From the Latin rupes ‘rock, cliff’, meaning growing in rocky places
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.
CELRUP
Chromosome number
2n = 108
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
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 11: 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.