Leptinella filiformis
Common names
slender button daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Rhizomatous, monoecious, perennial herb forming a diffuse turf. Rhizomes at soil surface, slender,
Similar taxa
Closely allied to L. minor Hook.f., from which it mainly differs by its consistently smaller state. Leaf dentition is usually absent or infrequent, while L. minor always has toothed leaves, the rhizomes of L. filiformis are 1 mm rather than 2 mm (or more) diam., whilst the capitula are 2-3 rather than 4-6 mm diam. nrDNA ITS sequences scarcely distinguish L. filiformis from L. minor.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, with records from the upper Awatere Valley, Clarence Valley, Hanmer Plain, and adjacent Balmoral forest. Extinct in all wild locations except one Clarence valley site.
Habitat
A species of lowland to montane (300-600m a.s.l.) basins, plains, hills and valley floors where it grows in grasslands, open shrubland, and under open Kanuka canopy. In the remaining wild population it lives in mostly open areas of loess substrate which are muddy in Winter but baked dry in Summer. It appears to need disturbance in the form of cattle trampling to reduce weed competition and maintain the population
Substrate details
Loess
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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: CD, DPT, OL
Threats
Literature records suggest L. filiformis was once locally common. Certainly when rabbits were abundant it flourished in the open ground they created. By the 1980s it was believed extinct. Plants were rediscovered in 1998 in a lawn at Hanmer Springs, where by late 1999 they were extinct due to redevelopment of the hotel grounds. Luckily plants were sampled from there in February 1999 and these have been widely distributed to plant nurseries, private gardens and Universities throughout New Zealand. Stock from those gatherings has been used to reintroduce the species to protected sites but it still remains very uncommon and vulnerable to loss. Another few wild populations were discovered near the Clarence River in eastern Molesworth in the 2000s and the species is still present at this site.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Cotula filiformis Hook.f.
Taxonomic notes
The distinction between this species and L. minor Hook.f. is slight. Leptinella minor is usually regarded as a Banks Peninsula endemic (though herbarium specimens suggest it once grew on the Canterbury Plains).
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Late Spring to mid Summer
Fruiting
Summer to autumn
Life cycle and dispersal
Papery cypselae are dispersed by wind and possibly attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Once believed extinct this species was rediscovered in 1998 in a lawn at Hanmer Springs. Most cultivated material now known stems from that discovery. Easy from rooted pieces and excellent in seasonally dry, poorly drained soils or shaded ground under trees. Dislikes permanantly wet ground. An excellent lawn plant, whose small white flower heads are produced in profusion thus making it very attractive
Other information
Etymology
leptinella: From the Greek word leptos (meaning slender, thin or delicate), referring to the ovary
filiformis: From the Latin filum ‘thread’ and forma ‘shape’, meaning thread-shaped
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.
LEPFIL
Chromosome number
2n = 52
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, DP, OL
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, EW
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, DP, RR
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Critical
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
Description from Lloyd (1972).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J.; Hindmarsh-Walls, R. (Year at time of access): Leptinella filiformis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/leptinella-filiformis/ (Date website was queried)