Craspedia argentea
Common names
Pisa Flats woollyhead
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: OL
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Simplified description
Rosette-forming herb with silvery grey, elliptic, obovate, spatulate to oblanceolate leaves. Leaf hairs appressed to floccose arranged in a wavy in pattern. Flower heads (capitula) on stems up to 130 mm tall. Flower head yellowish-white, with dark red-purple anthers.
Flower colours
Yellow, White
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Central Otago, Pisa Flats, Mahaka Katia Scientific Reserve).
Habitat
Grows on sparsely vegetated gravel outwash terraces.
Threats
Craspedia argentea as Craspedia (a) (CHR 511522; Clutha River) has been assessed as ‘Threatened/Nationally Critical’ (Criteria A1, Population <250 mature individuals, with a decline rate of 10%–30%), qualified ‘DP’ (Data Poor), ‘OL’ (One Location) by the New Zealand Indigenous Vascular Plant Threat Listing Panel (de Lange et al. 2018). Since then the qualifiers for the New Zealand Threat Classification System manual 2008 have been revised and expanded (see Rolfe et al. 2021). Using the revised qualifiers Barkla (2021) recommended that the qualifiers OL (One Location), DPT (Data Poor: Trend) and CR (Conservation Research Needed) be applied because of restriction of C. argentea to Mahaka Katia Scientific Reserve, the lack of adequate trend data, and the need for research to better understand the causes of decline and solutions for recovery (see also Breitwieser & Ford 2022). These adjustments have yet to be ratified by the New Zealand Indigenous Vascular Plant Threat Listing Panel.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None - first described in 2022.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Early October – mid November.
Fruiting
Late November through December.
Other information
Extra information
See brief article in July 2022 Trilepidea Four new species of woollyhead (Craspedia) described from the eastern South Island (p. 2).
Etymology
craspedia: Craspedia is named for the Greek ‘Kraspedon’, meaning an edge, hem or border, because of the woolly fringes of the leaves of the type species.
argentea: Silvery
Previous 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.
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, OL
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Threatened – Regionally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, NStr, OL, RE, TL
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 “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Barkla J. 2021. Understanding the conservation status of Central Otago dryland plants believed to be imminently threatened with extinction. Contract Report No. 6691934. Prepared for the Department of Conservation, Dunedin.
Breitwieser I, Ford KA. 2022. Four new species of Craspedia (Compositae/Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) from the South Island of New Zealand, all characterised by dark red-purple anthers. New Zealand Journal of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2022.2095919
de Lange PJ, Rolfe JR, Barkla JW, Courtney SP, Champion PD, Perrie LR, Beadel SM, Ford KA, Breitwieser I, Schönberger I, Hindmarsh-Walls R, Heenan PB, Ladley K. 2018. Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 22. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 82 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs22entire.pdf
Rolfe J, Makan T, Tait A. 2021. Supplement to the New Zealand threat classification system manual 2008: new qualifiers and amendments to qualifier definitions. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 9 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs-supplement-2021.pdf.
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 17 July 2022.