Shawia minor
Common names
Marlborough 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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Small and slender spreading shrub, less than 1m tall. Leaves diamond-shaped or blunt-ended 6.5-10cm long, 2.5-4cm wide, with a thin layer of felted hair on the back. Flower heads white, max. 3.5cm diameter. Flower stalks slender, sometimes leafy, about 10cm long.
Similar taxa
Shawia insignis. Leaves of S. minor are much smaller and more slender, with thinner layer of felted hair. It has smaller, slender stalked flowers, opening slightly later than other Shawia species.
Distribution
Endemic. From Clarence to Puhipuhi Rivers, South Marlborough.
Habitat
Coastal and inland lowland, usually confined to steep rocky or stony sites, rock faces and slopes.
Threats
Pachystegia minor is probably very local in its distribution, and many of the more accessible populations are often damaged by browsing animals. Some populations are at risk from roads, fire and the spread of weeds such as gorse (Ulex europaeus).
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Olearia insignis var. minor Cheeseman, Pachystegia insignis var. minor Cheeseman, Pachystegia minor (Cheeseman) Molloy
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December to February
Fruiting
February to April
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed but tricky to transplant. Can be grown from cuttings with extreme difficulty.
Other information
Cultivation
Occasionally offered by retail plant and specialist native plant nurseries.
Etymology
shawia: After Thomas Shaw (1694-1751), English scholar and traveller.
minor: Smaller
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.
PACMIN
Chromosome number
2n = 108
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Data Deficient
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Saldivia, P.; Nicol, D.A. 2025: Reinstatement, broader circumscription, and infrageneric classification of Shawia (Astereae, Celmisiinae), a large woody genus endemic to Australasia. Phytoneuron 49: 1–43.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (1 June 2013)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Shawia minor Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/shawia-minor/ (Date website was queried)