Pseudognaphalium lanatum
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
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Sparingly to much branched annual herb forming greyish more or less circular patches 10-80 mm diameter, and 10-15 mm tall on dried out mud of montane to alpine lake, pond and tarn beds. All parts densely clad in off white to greyish, floccose, cottony hairs (hairs initially white fading with age to off-white or grey); hairs shedding somewhat on older leaves. Branches filiform, decumbent, apices more or less ascending. Rosette leaves 3-8, mostly all withered at flowering; 7.4-18.6 x 2.0-4.6 mm, obovate, spathulate, oblong-spathulate, oblanceolate, elliptic to linear-lanceolate; apices obtuse to acute, often apiculate, bases cuneate to attentuate, dull grey-green to grey, margins often weakly undulate; mid stem and upper stem leaves 2-3, spreading, up to 10.2 x 1.8 mm, mostly narrow-oblanceolate to spathulate or linear-lanceolate, apices acute to subacute, becoming distinctly smaller near inflorescence, greyish-white to white due to dense hair covering, margins plane. Inflorescence of 1-3 terminal capitula, each subtended by a foliose bract 5.0-8.2 x 2.1-6.3 mm. Capitula mostly solitary, if more than 1 then arranged in very compact, simple, 3-flowered cymes, 2.3-4.3 mm diameter, 2.8-3.8 mm long, outer surface densely invested in white cottony hairs. Involucre narrowly barrel-shaped to urceolate; Involucral bracts arranged in 2-3 rows, basal 1/3 brown to dark brown, otherwise translucent, hyaline, pale amber, somewhat lustrous, weakly oblong, ovate, elliptic to more or less rhomboidal; adaxially with a central tuft of white, cottony hairs otherwise glabrous; outer bracts 4-12, 2.6-3.1 x 1.0-1.2 mm, slightly larger than inner 1-2 rows; inner row 4-8 (third row if present comprising 4-6 bracts). Receptacle 0.68-1.00 mm diameter, very slightly convex, alveolate. Florets 3-6, filiform, 0.9-1.4 mm long, not or scarcely exceeding involucre, corolla pale lemon yellow to almost greenish yellow; female florets 2-4, bisexual 1-2. Cypsela oblong-ellipsoid, more or less terete or compressed, 0.4-0.6 x 0.2-0.3 mm, yellow-orange, surface sparsely invested in papillate hairs. Pappus bristles 9-15, 1.8-2.6 mm long, white, barbellate readily detaching from cypsela
Similar taxa
There are at least two plants in New Zealand that have been referred to as Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum by past flora treatments. Smissen et al. (2022) demonstrated that one of these plants, which they referred to P. luteoalbum sens. lat. is probably introduced, it is best distinguished from indigenous plants by the red rather than yellow-green / yellow florets, and usually grows in urban areas, wasteland and along roadsides. For the indigenous plants they revived Gnaphalium lanatum, providing a new combination in Pseudognaphalium, P. lanatum for it. This is the name that is used here for all of the indigenous Pseudognaphalium. In their treatment, Smissen et al. (2022) did not recognise P. ephemerum, seeing it as part of a broad concept of P. lanatum. A full taxonomic treatment of New Zealand Pseudognaphalium is still needed, notably a recircumscription of P. lanatum which currently lacks a modern description, and because it is still not certain if the naturalised Pseudognaphalium is conspecific with P. luteoalbum sens. str. In the interim, the description in this fact sheet is narrowed to those plants that had been called P. ephemerum until such time as a new description for P. lanatum is furnished.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand, South Island, eastern from the upper Wairau River to Southland.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine. Usually in intermontane basins where it is a plant of ephemeral wetlands, kettlehole, tarn and lake margins, strictly in places which are flooded in winter and dry out in summer.
Threats
As now circumscribed Pseudognaphalium lanatum is a widespread, common plant of mostly indigenous habitats. Those plants that had been referred to as P. ephemerum and which are now included in P. lanatum are biologically sparse, seemingly naturally uncommon in their occurrences which are dictated by the presence of suitable wetland habitats. In some locations, such as Lake Lyndon the type locality for that species many thousands of plants can appear in a good season, while at other sites it may be known from year to year by only a handful of specimens. Although its ecological requirements play a strong role in its year to year abundance it cannot be denied that at many of its known locations, especially in the northern South Island it is now seriously threatened by the spread of invasive weeds into its ephemeral wetland habitat.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Gnaphalium lanatum G.Forst., Anaphalis lanata (G.Forst.) F.Muell., Gnaphalium luteoalbum var. compactum Kirk, Gnaphalium luteoalbum var. incanum A.Rich., Pseudognaphalium ephemerum de Lange
Taxonomic notes
Pseudognaphalium ephemerum is a nomen novum and combination for the plant previously known as Gnaphalium luteo-album var. compactum. This plant was transferred to Pseudognaphalium and elevated to species rank by de Lange in de Lange et al. (2010) as a temporary measure to assure its conservation management. Increasingly it is recognised that Pseudognaphalium is probably better placed within Helichrysum, as the defining characters of that genus are shared with Helichrysum. Nevertheless Smissen et al. (2022) elected to use Pseudognaphalium in preference to Helichrysum when revisiting the taxonomy of New Zealand Pseudognaphalium.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - February
Fruiting
December - April
Propagation technique
Difficult - should not be removed from the wild.
Other information
Etymology
pseudognaphalium: Like Gnaphalium (downy), a related plant
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.
PSELAN
Chromosome number
2n = 14
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 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, EF, RR, Sp
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, EF, RR, Sp
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: DP, EF, RR, Sp
2004 | Sparse
Regional conservation statuses
Otago: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
de Lange, P.J.; Heenan, P.B.; Norton, D.A.; Rolfe, J.R.; Sawyer, J.W.D. 2010: Threatened Plants of New Zealand. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch.
Smissen, R.D.; Breitwieser, I.; de Lange, P.J. 2022: Pseudognaphalium (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) diversity in New Zealand revealed by DNA sequences with notes on the phylogenetic relationships of Hawaiian Islands plants referred to Pseudognaphalium sandwicensium. New Zealand Journal of Botany: 1–28 (online). (Published online: October 2022 DOI:10.1080/0028825X.2022.2132871)
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (28 February 2008). Description by P.J. de Lange based on live plants and herbarium specimens. - this description was subsequently published by de Lange et al. (2010)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pseudognaphalium lanatum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pseudognaphalium-lanatum/ (Date website was queried)