Celmisia sinclairii
Common names
Sinclair’s mountain daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Small low-growing subshrub with stems branching from near base; branches short, ascending to spreading, clad in persistent leaf-remnants; living leaves rosulate at tips of branchlets. Lamina bright green, glabrous on both surfaces, ±50-70 × 15 mm, obovate, obovate-elliptic to elliptic-spathulate, membranous; lower surface with conspicuous midrib; apex obtuse to subacute, apiculate; margins entire to obscurely denticulate, gradually narrowed to short petiole, then expanded into striate, glabrous, thin sheath ±25 × 6 mm. Scape slender, almost glabrous, ±150 mm long; bracts linear-subulate, 8-9 mm long, ± ciliolate. Capitula 30-40 mm diameter; involucral bracts linear-subulate, spreading, ± ciliolate at apex. Ray-florets numerous, linear, c. 8-12 mm long, obtuse. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, c.5-6 mm long. Achenes silky-hairy on ribs. Pappus-hairs up to 6 mm long, slender, barbellate.
Similar taxa
Recognised by the glabrous leaves which form rosulate tufts at the branchlet tips.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: Nelson and Marlborough from the Richmond Range and Wairau Mountains south to the St Arnaurd Range and upper Clarence.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine. Mainly in grassland and herbfield. Occasionally on rock outcrops.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - February
Fruiting
December - 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
Where To Buy
Not Commercially available.
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
sinclairii: After Sinclair (c. 1796–1861). Colonial Secretary and naturalist.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
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.
CELSIN
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 | 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 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.