Leptinella pusilla
Synonyms
Cotula perpusilla Hook.f., Cotula angustata G.Simpson
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
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.
LEPPUS
Chromosome number
2n = 104
Current conservation status
The threat classification status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2018 | At Risk – Declining
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Distribution
Endemic. North and South Islands. In the north known from near Dannevirke (historic) south to Cape Palliser and the south Wellington coast. In the South Island easterly from the Richmond Range (Marlborough) south to the Foveaux Strait.
Habitat
Coastal to subalpine (0-1200 m a.s.l.) but more frequent at lower altitudes. Usually found in open sites on gravel, sand or in sparsely vegetated tussock grassland, or in the shade of rock outcrops.
Features
Dioecious, creeping, tufted perennial herb of open ground and grassland. Rhizomes deeply buried, pale, wiry and glabrous; branches uncommon, usually single at flowering nodes; initially clade in spirally arranged scales set 5-20 mm apart. Short shoots growing upward from buried rhizomes, each apically bearing 4-8 tufted leaves. Roots slender, weak, 0.5 mm diameter. Leaves 1-pinnatifid, 10-60 x 3-10 mm; blade 5-30 mm long, light green usually with proximal or all pinnae heavily brown-pigmented, lanceolate to obovate, submembranous, glabrous to densely villous hairy, midrib raised along most of ventral surface; pinnae 8-15 pairs, usually distant, sometimes overlapping, cut to rhachis, oblong or obovate; teeth absent or up to 8 per pinna, on distal margins only, usually obscured by hairs, cut 1/4-1/2 acros spinna, narrowly triangular, acute to acuminate, sometimes with a terminal weft of hairs. Peduncles villous about equal in length to leaves, 10-30 mm, ebracteate or bearing 1 simple bract. Pistillate capitula 2-4 mm extending to 8 mm diameter in fruit; surface convex, involucre urceolate; involucral bracts 15-30, unequally 3-, or more seriate, broadly elliptic, green, more or less villous with a broad, usually brown tipped, scarious margin; inner bracts elongated after anthesis to enclose subglobose fruiting head; florets 25-80, 2 mm long, curved, yellow-green; corolla slightly longer than wide, dentition unequal. Staminate heads 3-5 mm diameter; involucre hemispherical, involucral bracts 5-10, subequally uni-, or biseriate, not extending after anthesis; florets similar but slightly more numerous. Cypsela 1.6 x 1 mm, initially pale, chartaceous maturing brown and smooth, slightly compressed, unwrinkled.
Similar taxa
Leptinella serrulata (D.G.Lloyd) D.G.Lloyd et C.J.Webb and L. calcarea (D.G.Lloyd) D.G.Lloyd et C.J.Webb are closely related to L. pusilla. Leptinella calcarea differs by its rigidly stiff, fleshy leaves lacking any brown pigmentation, it is also geographically isolated from both L. serrulata and L. pusilla. Leptinella serrulata differs from L. pusilla mainly by its consistently and copiously silvery-hairy, submembranous leaves, and by the pinnae that are usually overlapping rather than distant. Furthermore, the pinnae teeth are more or less oblong rather than triangular. L. pusilla is frequently sympatric with L. serrulata. Exact distinction between both species is often not that easy and further research is needed to confirm the status of L. serrulata.
Flowering
August - November
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Fruiting
October - January (-March)
Life cycle
Papery cypselae are dispersed by wind and possibly attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown and so fairly common in cultivation. However, most cultivated material is of one sex-type so seed is rarely produced. An excellent ground cover for sunny, dry sites on fre drainign soils. Once established this species is remarkably drought tolerant. Plants sold as Cotula perpusilla cv. Platts Black are not L. pusilla but L. serrulata.
Etymology
leptinella: From the Greek word leptos (meaning slender, thin or delicate), referring to the ovary
pusilla: Small
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (31 August 2006). Description from Lloyd (1972) - as Cotula perpusilla.
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.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Leptinella pusilla Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/leptinella-pusilla/ (Date website was queried)