Gingidia amphistoma
Common names
a native aniseed
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 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
A herbaceous perennial with glabrous, pinnate leaves that are grey-green, glaucous, or light green. The leaflets are typically in seven to nine pairs with shallow rounded teeth on the margins of each leaflet. The species has white flowers and is gynodioecious. Both male and female flowers are borne in umbels atop stems that are taller than the leaves. The seeds are brown with five ribs
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Stout to somewhat spreading gynodioecious perennial herbs occasionally forming small colonies; Petioles 40-200 × 1.5-2.5 mm, circular in cross-section with shallow channel evident; sheaths 12-25 × 1.5-3.5 mm. Leaves once pinnate, 3-6 per rosette, somewhat leathery, up to 350 mm long; leaflets 7-9 pairs, sessile, simple, oblong-orbicular to rhomboid-orbicular, often overlapping more so towards distal end of , each 4-27 × 4-20 mm, reducing in size distally, margin crenate to serrated, base blunt to wedge-shaped without teeth, light green to grey-green paler below; Inflorescences 120-390 mm long with larger terminal umbel and up to 4 lateral umbels; compound umbels 1-4 per inflorescence; simple umbels 1-15 per compound umbel; bracts somewhat fused, narrow-elliptic or narrow-lanceolate; flowers 9-19 per simple umbel; styles 1.8-2.1 mm long in female flowers, 1.5-1.9 mm in hermaphrodite flowers. Mericarps 3-5 mm long, longer than broad, brown, vittae dark brown; 5 ribs, with 2 more or less same sized opposing wings.
Similar taxa
Gingidia grisea as these two species are the only species of the former G. montana agg. Which have stomata on both the upside and underside of the leaves. G. grisea has fewer leaflets being 8-14, and generally longer leaf being up to 470 mm compared to 350 mm in G. amphistoma.
G. amphistoma is most similar to G. haematica but their distributions do not overlap.
G montana does co-exist with G. amphistoma and can be distinguished by its larger habit, larger leaves (up to 800 mm) compared to G. amphistoma (up to 470 mm) and dark green leaflets compared to light green or grey-green leaflets of G. amphistoma. G. montana only has stomata on the underside of the leaflets whereas G. amphistoma has stomata of both sides of its leaflets.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island: Central Southern Alps – Mount Cook range South to Mount Aspiring.
Habitat
Montane (750-1800 m.a.sl.). Amongst rocky outcrops in moist and shaded crevices, particularly those rocks and boulders in streams or glacial moranes.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
None, first described in 2013 - treated as Gingidia aff. montana (c) (CHR 505502; Mt Cook) in de Lange et al. (2013)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November – December.
Fruiting
December - January.
Other information
Etymology
gingidia: A Syrian carrot
amphistoma: From the Greek words amphi (αμφί): meaning “on both sides”; and stoma (στόμα): meaning “mouth” or “opening”, in reference to the stomata being present on both sides of each leaflet.
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 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DP
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Declining | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NR
Current regional threat status assessments prepared according to Crisp et al. (2025) are displayed when available. The 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
de Lange PJ, Rolfe JR, Champion PD, Courtney SP, Heenan PB, Barkla JW, Cameron EK, Norton DA, Hitchmough RA. 2013. Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 3. Department of Conservation, Wellington, NZ. 70 p. https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs3entire.pdf.
Heenan PB, Telford IRH, Bruhl JJ. 2013. Three new species of Gingidia (Apiaceae: Apioideae) from Australia and New Zealand. Australian Systematic Botany 26: 196-209.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by MD Ward (November 28th 2025).