Tiny Daisy Wins Big in Favourite Plant 2021
Close up of Leptinella nana leaves and capitula of a cultivated plant ex Titahi Bay. Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 1 November 2003, Licence: CC BY.After an incredible competition the 2021 NZPCN Favourite Plant has been chosen, and unlike what has happened in bird of the year the Favourite Plant for 2021 is actually a plant. Congratulations to the Pygmy Button Daisy Leptinella nana for taking out the competition, and in the end, it wasn’t even close. The incredible support this plant received was more than enough to put it ahead of the more well-known species that populated the top 10. This is a big win for a tiny plant that only exists in a few areas that add up to smaller than most people’s living rooms. In a competition with the goal of raising awareness this is a very worthy winner. A tough second for Ngutu Kākā Clianthus puniceus, which was favourite to win for much of the competition. Although it didn’t make the top spot its appearance in near the top shared some valuable light on just how threatened this common garden plant is in the wild. A huge thankyou goes out to all those who campaigned for their favourite plant and all those who took part. This year saw one of the highest voter turn outs ever, and a total of 213 plants receiving at least one vote.
The rest of the top 10 are as follows
- Leptinella nana — 154 votes
- Clianthus puniceus — 118 votes
- Metrosideros excelsa — 52 votes
- Corybas carsei— 44 votes
- Muehlenbeckia astonii — 38 votes
- Sophora chathamica— 35 votes
- Calochilus herbaceus — 31 votes
- Pseudopanax crassifolius — 30 votes
- Clematis paniculata — 24 votes
- Vitex lucens — 24 votes
Keep an eye out for a full write up about the winners in the next Trilepidea issue.
Posted: 01/11/2021