Celmisia semicordata subsp. stricta
Common names
large mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Stout woody-based much-branched herb forming large carpets with branchlets arising from a multicipital stock, usually hidden; living leaves in large rosettes at the tips of branchlets, the whole plant forming an irregular sward-like patch; leaf sheaths densely imbricate and compacted, forming a pseudo-stem. Leaf lamina 110-320 × 20-40 mm, more or less coriaceous, at first erect but soon becoming patent, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong-ovate; upper surface regularly sulcate, marging strongly recurved, more or less concolorous, masked by an extremely silvery pellicle 9this sometimes becoming lead-coloured when old); lower surface densely covered in glistening appressed tomentum, midrib prominent; tip acute; margins entire, flat or moderately recurved; base cuneate, gradually tapered to the petiole. Petiole short. Sheath up to 120 × 0 mm, greenish or slightly purplish, clad in floccose white hairs. Scape densely clad in floccose white hairs, very stout, up to 450 mm long; with numerous silvery bracts in upper 1/3, these erect, up to 150 mm long, margins revolute; usually monocephalous but occasionally with several capitula especially in cultivated specimens. Ray florets 200-250, ligulate, the limb narrow-linear, white. Disc florets 400-450, 8-9 mm long, funneliform, yellow, tube with long eglandular biseriate hairs in lower half. Achene fusiform, strongly grooved, 3.5-8.0 mm long, slightly hairy; hairs short, appressed, bifid. Pappus unequal, 7-8 mm long, of c.40 barbellate bristles.
Similar taxa
Celmisia semicordata subsp. stricta differs from subsp. semicordata by forming larger more extensively branched patches, and by the leaves which are narrower, tapering, and more rigid and which have an extremely silvery rather than silver or greenish bronze pellicle. C. semidordata subsp. aurigens differs from subsp. stricta by its wider leaves which have a golden rather than silver pellicle
Distribution
Endemic: South Island: Mountains of western Otago and adjacent Southland (Eyre Mountains, western Garvie Mountains and Hector Range, Mid Dome, Cupola, Takitimu Mountains, Hunter Mountains). Probably also the Hokonui Hills and Blue Mountains.
Habitat
A prominent member of montane and subalpine grassland communities through its area of distribution especially where burning has disturbed native communities. It occupies a zone between the wetter mountains of Fiordland and Central Otago where Celmisia semicordata subsp. aurigans apparently replaces it.
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
Celmisia coriacea var. stricta Cockayne
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October - February
Fruiting
November - July
Propagation technique
Easily grown in a shaded site, planted within a permanently moist, free draining, acidic soil. Dislikes humidity and will not tolerate drying out. Best grown from fresh seed which should be sown immediately or stratified in a fridge or freezer for 1-3 months
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
stricta: From the Latin strictus ‘upright, stiff’
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.
CELSSS
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
Given, D.R. 1980: A taxonomic revision of Celmisia coriacea (Forst.f.) Hook.f. and its immediate allies (Astereae-Compositae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 18: 127-140.
Attribution
Description from Given (1980)