Lagenophora sublyrata
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Small, tufted, non-rhizomatous herb with a simple or multiciple root stock. Roots stout, rather fleshy, closely packed on stock up to 3 mm diameter. Rosette leaves 10-25 x 5-15 mm, grey-green to dark green, ovate, obovate-spathulate, obovate-oblong to obovate-cuneate, margins coarsely or shallowly, often rather distantly crenate-dentate to crenate-serrate or rarely subentire to entire; usually widest at or close to the proximal teeth, tapering from proximal teeth to the base, membranous, both surfaces velutinous, densely clad in soft, fine hairs; apex obtuse sometimes apiculate. Petioles 5-20 mm long, flat to subterete. Cauline leaves 0-3, similar to rosette leaves, smaller. Scapes 10-80 mm long, glabrescent, slender, somewhat wiry, pliant. Capitula 5-10 mm diameter; involucral narrow-oblong, obtuse to acute, glabrescent; hyaline margins narrow. Ray florets numerous, c.30-80, 0.3-0.8 mm long, white, disc florets 10-15 or more, yellow. Cypsela 2.5-2.75 x 1 mm, brown to grey-brown, obliquely obovate, glabrous, margins thickened. Beak stout 0.5 mm long, following curvature of margin.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from the other New Zealand species by the large dark green to grey-green, soft, velvety, coarsely to shallowly serrated or entire, hairy leaves. The seeds of this species are particularly distinctive due to their long, prominently curved beaks. It is most likely to be confused with Solenogyne gunnii, an introduced Australian species, which differs by its oblanceolate to lanceolate leaves, and shorter, densely hairy, rather than glabrescent, fruiting scapes no longer than the longest leaf.
Distribution
Native. Confined to the North Island where it occurs locally from Te Paki south to the Hauraki Gulf islands, Cuvier Island, and the Waitakere Ranges.
Habitat
Open or relatively bare clay pans, under short scrub or within rough pasture, in coastal locations. Often seen under tall kānuka (Kunzea spp.) forest where it grows on exposed clay or in shallow leaf litter. Seems to do best in semi-shaded sites.
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 – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT, SO
Threats
Not directly threatened but generally uncommon throughout its known range. Often grows in rough or poorly maintained pasture that is reverting to scrub so is vulnerable to pasture improvement
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Lagenifera lanata A. Cunn.; Lagenophora lanata A.Cunn.
Taxonomic notes
The correct spelling of the genus has been the matter of some debate. Drury (1974) argued that the naming author of the genus Cassini had first spelled the genus as Lagenifera in 1816, and that this spelling therefore took priority over his later Lagenophora (proposed in 1818). Nevertheless Nicolson (1996) put forward a proposal to reject the earlier Lagenifera in favour of Lagenophora, and this proposal was accepted under the Vienna Code (see Art. 14.11 & App. III 2006). Nevertheless this ruling was accidentally overlooked by New Zealand botanists until it was drawn to their attention in 2013 (P. J. de Lange pers. comm., August 2013).
Drury (1974) considered that Lagenophora sublyrata might be better accommodated in Solenogyne - this aspect needs further study. However, Nakamura et al. (2012) merged this species, as L. lanata, with the Australian L. gracilis, but this view has been disputed. The most recent view is that the correct name for this plant is now L. sublyrata (Wang & Bean 2019), and this is followed here for now.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
September - March
Fruiting
November - June
Propagation technique
Easy from fresh seed or rooted pieces
Other information
Etymology
lagenophora: From the Latin lagen ‘bottle or flask’ and –phora a Greek suffix denoting a carrier, possibly referring to the urceolate (urn-shaped) cypsela.
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.
LAGSUB
Chromosome number
2n = 18
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Relict | Qualifiers: Sp
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Declining | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, PF, RR, SO
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Drury, D.G. 1974: A Broadly Based Taxonomy of Lagenifera Section Lagenifera and Solenogyne (Compositae-Astereae), with an Account of their Species in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 12: 365-395.
Nakamura, K.; Denda, T.; Kokubugata, G.; Forster, P.I.; Wilson, G.; Peng, CH.; Yokota, M. 2012: Molecular phylogeography reveals an antitropical distribution and local diversification of Solenogyne (Asteraceae) in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and Australia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 105: 197–217.
Nicolson, D.H. 1996: (1233) Proposal to conserve the name Lagenophora (Compositae) with a conserved spelling. Taxon 45: 341-342.
Wang, J.; Bean, A.R. 2019: A taxonomic revision of Lagenophora Cass. (Asteraceae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 10: 405–442
Attribution
P.J. de Lange (3 May 2011). Description based on fresh material and herbarium specimens held at AK.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Lagenophora sublyrata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/lagenophora-sublyrata/ (Date website was queried)