Gingidia montana
Common names
mountain aniseed, New Zealand aniseed
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
Brown, Yellow
Detailed description
Stout to somewhat laxly erect, non-rhizomatous, dark green, glaucescent, perennial herb. Bases usually bearing numerous leaf remnants, sometimes bare. Petioles 70-380 x 2.5-6.0 mm, fleshy, glaucescent; sheaths 30-95 x 7-20 mm. Leaves once pinnate, coriaceous to sub-fleshy, 150-800 x 30-150 mm, upper surface dark green, glaucescent, undersides usually paler, glaucous; leaflets 5-10 pairs, 15-80 x 15-65 mm, sessile, ovate-oblong to rhomboid, acute to obtuse, very rarely incised (incisions cut almost to midvein), stomata restricted to lower surface, margins serrate or crenate. Inflorescences 250-800 mm long with axes 35-80 mm in diameter; compound umbels 2-4 per inflorescence; simple umbels 5-25 per compound umbel; bracts free lanceolate, subacute to obtuse; flowers 15-30 per simple umbel; styles 1.5-3.5 mm long. Mericarps (excluding style) 4-8 mm long, dull or semi-glossy, finely bullate, especially on wings, dark brown, dark yellow, brown sometimes tinged purple, vittae dark red-brown or dark purple-brown; ovate to ovate-elliptic or broadly ovate; apex narrowed to 2-3 ovate-triangular calyx teeth and thin, often recruved style remnant; surface broad convex with 5 ribs, the 2 commissural broadly and more or less evenly winged, or with wings broadening toward base.
Similar taxa
Easily distinguished from all the other New Zealand species of Gingidia (except G. grisea) by the stout erect habit, and larger leaves (up to 900 mm long) and leaflets (up to 80 mm long). In the past G. grisea has been confused with G. montana. Gingidia grisea differs from G. montana by the distinctive uniformly grey-green leaves, dense glaucous bloom on both leaf surfaces, and by the secondary bracts which are broad-elliptic and long-acuminate rather than lanceolate, subacute to obtuse. Unlike G. montana the inflorescences are often hidden within the rosette leaves, particularly so with female specimens. Preliminary analyses using rDNA ITS sequences suggest that G. grisea is more closely allied to G. trifoliolatum than it is to G. montana.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North and South Islands. In the North Island now extremely scarce but formerly said to have occurred from about Kawhia and the southern Hawke’s Bay south to the Wairarapa. It is rarely seen now in this area. In the South Island widespread throughout the island.
Habitat
Lowland to subalpine (upto 1300 m a.s.l.). Formerly widespread in open grassland, shrubland and along river banks now largely confined to cliffs, rock outcrops and seepages above roadsides - in places largely free from or completely free of browsing animals.
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: DPR, DPS, DPT, PF
Threats
Not Threatened. However, it is now extinct over most of its North Island range and it has declined from much of the South Island. Being highly palatable it is now often confined to inaccessible sites or locations free from browsing animals. This species may well yet qualify as Declining.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Gingidium montanum J.R.Forst. et G.Forst., Ligusticum gingidium G.Forst., Anisotome gingidium Hook.f., Angelica gingidium Hook.f., Angelica montana (J.R.Forst. et G.Forst.) Cockayne
Taxonomic notes
Heenan et al. (2013) have shown that Gingidia montana is endemic to New Zealand. Australian plants referred to this species have been segregated from it as a new endemic G. rupicola I.Telford et. J.J.Bruhl. In New Zealand, two new species G. amphistoma Heenan and G. haematitica Heenan have also been segregated from G. montana.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
August - May
Fruiting
October - June
Life cycle and dispersal
Winged mericarps are dispersed by wind (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown. Probably the most widely grown and easily cultivated species. It tolerates humidity and does well in full sun or shade, though it prefers a fertile, well drained, mosit soil.
Other information
Etymology
gingidia: A Syrian carrot
montana: From the Latin mons ‘mountain’, meaning growing on mountains
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.
GINMON
Chromosome number
2n = 22
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 | Qualifiers: DP
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Declining | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NStr, Sp
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 “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Heenan, P.B.; Telford, I.R.H.; Bruhl, J.J. Three new species of Gingidia (Apiaceae: Apioideae) from Australia and New Zealand. Australian Systematic Botany 26: 196-209
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
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (1 June 2013)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Gingidia montana Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/gingidia-montana/ (Date website was queried)