Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia
Common names
Red Hills button daisy
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
Cream, White
Detailed description
Gynodioecious creeping perennial herb forming circular patches up to 1 m wide. Rhizomes on soil surface or intertangled and lying on older, decaying rhizomes, stout, somewhat fleshy 1-3 mm diameter, dark green to purple-red, sparsely pilose hairy, becoming woody and glabrous with age; branches usually clustered with up to 6 radiating from around a flowering node; leaves clustered at apex, sometimes with older leaves up to 30 mm apart. Roots extensive, stout, up to 200 x 1 mm. Leaves 5-25 x 1-3 mm; blade 4-10 mm long, linear, entire, rarely with one lobe up to 2 mm long near apex on one or both sides, coriaceous, fleshy, dark red-green, glabrous midrib not raised on ventral surface. Peduncles longer than leaves, 20-120 mm, dark red green, with 1-8 evenly spaced, small linear bracts, rarely ebracteate, sparsely pilose. Capitula fragrant, pistillate, staminate or bisexual (on different plants). Pistillate capitula 5-15 mm diameter, surface flat or slightly convex; involucre hemisperhical; involucral bracts 20-110, subequally 2- or more seriate, fleshy, oblong, dark green, with a single dark vein evident, glabrous, with wide brown scarious margins; florets 50-200, 2.75-4 mm long, straight, white, cream or lemon-yellow; corolla 2-4 times as long as wide, dentition equal. Staminate capitula 5-18 mm diameter, surface convex; involucre spreading or flat; involucral bracts 10-60; florets 40-300, occasionally with a dark stripe down the broader part of the corolla. Bisexual capitula intermediate, numbers of pistillate and pistillate florest varying from plant to plant. Cypsela 2.3 x 1 mm, dark brown, compressed, biconvex, slightly wrinkled.
Similar taxa
Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia (Cheeseman) D.G.Lloyd et C.J.Webb is easily distinguished from var. pyrethrifolia, it has linear red-green leaves (rarely with an apical lobing), rather than dark green 1-pinnatifid leaves, dark brown rather than golden-brown seeds, and is confined to ultramafic substrates in the Red Hills, upper Wairau Valley.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island, Marlborough. An ultramafic endemic of the Red Hills.
Habitat
An ultramafic endemic found on water logged or free draining soils, rubble, talus or within open sites within the predominantly Chionochloa defracta Connor dominated tussock grasslands of that region.
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
Threats
Not threatened but listed because it is a narrow range endemic of restricted distribution.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Cotula linearifolia Cheeseman, Cotula pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia (Cheeseman) D.G.Lloyd
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
September - January
Fruiting
October - May
Life cycle and dispersal
Papery cypselae are dispersed by wind and possibly attachment (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from rooted pieces and odes well in most garden situations. It prefers a sunny situation and is tolerant of wet or dry conditions. Although it will grow without it, this plant benefits from regular applications of a magnesium rich fertiliser.
Other information
Etymology
leptinella: From the Greek word leptos (meaning slender, thin or delicate), referring to the ovary
pyrethrifolia: Pyrethrum-leaved
linearifolia: With linear leaves
Chromosome number
2n = 156
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: OL
2004 | Range Restricted
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 pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/leptinella-pyrethrifolia-var-linearifolia/ (Date website was queried)