Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. pyrethrifolia
Common names
button daisy
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 | Not Threatened
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 1-pinnatifid, 5-40 x 3-10 mm; blade 4-15 mm long, elliptic, obovate to broadly obovate coriaceous, fleshy, dark green, glabrous midrib not raised on ventral surface; pinnae 1-4 pairs up to 5 mm long, distant, obovate, obtuse; teeth 0(-1) on either side of larger pinnae, cut 1/3-1/2 across pinna, triangular. peduncles longer than leaves, 20-120 mm, dark green to purple-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, golden-brown, compressed, biconvex, slightly wrinkled.
Similar taxa
Allied to L. pectinata (Hook.f.) D.G.LLoyd et C.J.Webb with which it is perhaps most similar to subsp. willcoxii (Cheeseman) D.G.Lloyd et C.J.Webb from which it differs by its ecology, overall larger stature, broader, wider leaves, and usually white to cream (sometimes lemon-yellow) capitula. L. pyrethrifolia var. pyrethrifolia is cytologically distinct having 2n = 156, 208 rather than 2n = 52, 104 found in L. pectinata. Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. linearifolia (Cheeseman) D.G.Lloyd et C.J.Webb is easily distinguished from var. pyrethrifolia, it has linear leaves (rarely with an apical lobing), dark brown seeds, and is confined to ultramafic substrates in the Red Hills, upper Wairau Valley.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island from Ruahine Ranges south. South Island from Marlborough and Nelson to southern Canterbury.
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine (600-2000 m a.s.l.), usually along stream and river banks, at the base of talus and scree slopes, or on rocky ridges, or near and growing on rock outcrops.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Cotula pyrethrifolia Hook.f., C. pyrethrifolia Hook.f. var. pyrethrifolia
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - February
Fruiting
December - April
Propagation technique
Easy from rooted pieces, like full sun with a damp root run. Excellent in a pot. The large white, cream or pale yellow, sweetly scented capitula are very attractive.
Other information
Etymology
leptinella: From the Greek word leptos (meaning slender, thin or delicate), referring to the ovary
pyrethrifolia: Pyrethrum-leaved
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.
LEPPVP
Chromosome number
2n = 156, 208
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 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
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.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (31 August 2006). Description from Lloyd (1972) - as Cotula pyrethrifolia var. pyrethrifolia.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Leptinella pyrethrifolia var. pyrethrifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/leptinella-pyrethrifolia-var-pyrethrifolia/ (Date website was queried)