Leptinella featherstonii
Common names
Chatham Island button daisy, mutton bird plant
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 – Relict | Qualifiers: CI, CD, IE, RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
Cream, White
Detailed description
Monoecious, woody to subwoody, robust, grey-green, glaucous, yellow-green to dark green, leafy shrub up to 1.5 x 2 m. Stems 1-many, at first erect, then spreading, rarely decumbent, up to 20 mm diameter; initially fleshy-succulent, green or orange-green with smooth glabrous to puberulent surfaces, heavily marked by old leaf scars; branches clustered, 3-4(-6) emerging from a flowering node and the nodes immediately behind depending on season and growth conditions; leaves densely clustered toward branch apex, older ones retained up to 30 mm apart, long persistent along branches beneath actively growing portion. Roots stout, orange to white, up to 2 mm diameter, arising from stem base and on occasion where branches touch the ground. Leaves simple, subsessile, 15-60 x 6-25 mm; lamina broadly obovate, slightly tapering to an ill-defined petiole, somewhat crisply fleshy or membranous depending on conditions, grey-green, glaucous, yellow-green to dark green, usually finely velutinous or puberulent, sometimes glabrous (or nearly so), hairs fine, soft, suberect, often falling with leaf maturation, midrib and principal veins usually evident on both surfaces; margin with 3 shallow obtuse triangular teeth or lobes just before apex, or entire. Peduncles finely velutinous to puberulent, shorter than leaves, 5-20 mm, ebracteate or with 1-2 small leaf-like bracts just below capitula. Capitula 10 mm diameter, surface hemispherical; involucre hemispherical; involucral bracts 10-18, unequally uni- or biseriate, broadly elliptic, fleshy, green or shades thereof, with 1-3 brown veins, sparsely pilose hairy to velutinous or glabrous, with a narrow hyaline scarious margins near apex only; pistillate florets 200, 6-seriate, 2 mm long, straight, white, cream, yellow, yellow-green or green; corolla 3x as long as wide, blunt, dentition equal; staminate florets up to 130. Cypsela 1.5 x 0.7 mm, chocolate-brown to black, compressed, without wrinkles, striated with 2 lateral, 2-4 anterior and 2-4 posterior pale ribs.
Similar taxa
None.
Distribution
Endemic to the Chatham Islands where it was formerly widespread on all islands. Now found only at Kaingaroa and near Ocean Bay on main island, and on SE (Rangitira), Little Mangere, the Pyramid, Forty-Fours (Motuhara), Star Keys, the Sisters, Western Reef and various rock stacks (collectively the Murumuru) beside Pitt Island.
Habitat
Peaty ground near coast; usually growing in association with burrowing or nesting seabirds. But on Western Reef, growing in rock crevices enriched with nutrients imported by seals and non-burrowing seabirds.
Threats
This species is seriously threatened at Kaingaroa on the main Chatham Island by loss of habitat through erosion; weed invasion; browsing mammals; loss of seabird activity through predation and disturbance; declining soil fertility; indiscriminate collection; storm damage; and invertebrate attack. Only one plant is known from near Ocean Bay. Beyond Chatham Island, L. featherstonii is abundant, and at times the dominant plant on predator-free offshore islands dominated by nesting sea birds such as albatross and mollymawks. Low levels of decline have been recorded from some of these islands but this may be natural
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Cotula featherstonii (F.Muell.) Hook.f., Cotula renwickii Cockayne
Taxonomic notes
The woody shrub habit is unusual in the genus, however it does seem to be correctly placed in Leptinella.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Spring and summer.
Fruiting
Late summer and autumn.
Life cycle and dispersal
Papery cypselae are dispersed by wind and possibly attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Can be grown from fresh seed and cuttings but difficult to maintain in cultivation. Dislikes humidity and cannot tolerate long periods of drought. Even well established plants are inclined to sudden collapse in times of stress
Other information
Etymology
leptinella: From the Greek word leptos (meaning slender, thin or delicate), referring to the ovary
Chromosome number
2n = 54
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 – Relict | Qualifiers: CD, IE, RR
2012 | At Risk – Relict | Qualifiers: CD, IE, RR
2009 | At Risk – Relict | Qualifiers: CD, IE, RR
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Lloyd, D.G. 1972: A revision of the New Zealand, Subantarctic, and South American species of Cotula, section Leptinella. New Zealand Journal of Botany 10: 277-372.
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 for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 31 August 2006. Description from Lloyd (1972) - as Cotula featherstonii.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Leptinella featherstonii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/leptinella-featherstonii/ (Date website was queried)