| Aciphylla dieffenbachii | |
|---|---|
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| Aciphylla dieffenbachii in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Aciphylla |
| Species: | A. dieffenbachii |
| Binomial name | |
| Aciphylla dieffenbachii | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Aciphylla dieffenbachii, also called soft speargrass or Dieffenbach's speargrass, is a species of soft speargrass endemic to the Chatham Islands.
It is a small perennial with clusters of soft and drooping leaves that divide into blue-green leaflets up to 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in) long. [2] [3] It produces a striking upright flowering stem up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall. [4] From November to February it produces yellow flowers, and from January to June it produces a golden-yellow fruit that turns a light brown-grey when mature. [3] It has a robust and deep taproot. [4] If damaged, it will bleed a sticky white latex fluid. [3]
It is endemic to the Chatham Islands. [2] Within the Chathams, it has been found on the Chatham, Pitt, Mangere, Little Mangere, and South East (Rangatira) islands, along with some of the Murumuru stacks and islets. [3] It is found solely in coastal areas. [2]
It has also been cultivated, and can be found in gardens on mainland New Zealand. [5]
Aciphylla dieffenbachii is named after Johann Karl Ernest Dieffenbach, a German physician, geologist and naturalist. Dieffenbach worked for the New Zealand Company and travelled widely across the country. [2]
As of 2023, it was classified as At Risk – Declining. [3]
The Chatham Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about 800 km (430 nmi) east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approximate 60 km (30 nmi) radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island (Rangiauria). They include New Zealand's easternmost point, the Forty-Fours. Some of the islands, formerly cleared for farming, are now preserved as nature reserves to conserve some of the unique flora and fauna.
Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach, also known as Ernest Dieffenbach, was a German physician, geologist and naturalist, the first trained scientist to live and work in New Zealand, where he travelled widely under the auspices of the New Zealand Company, returning in 1841–42 and publishing in English his Travels in New Zealand in 1843.
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, all but two of them endemic to New Zealand. They range from small cushion plants to tall flower spikes surrounded by rosettes of stiff, pointed leaves, the latter probably adaptations to prevent browsing by moa. Their common name is speargrass or Spaniard. Most Aciphylla species live in subalpine or alpine habitats in the South Island. Fragrant oil extracted from some large species, known as taramea, is still used as a perfume by Māori.
The flora of the Chatham Islands consists of around 388 terrestrial plant species, of which 47 are endemic. The Chatham Islands make up the Chatham floristic province of the Neozeylandic Region of the Antarctic Kingdom.
Aciphylla colensoi is a species of Aciphylla, commonly known as giant speargrass, Spaniard, or its Māori-language name taramea. Individual plants may be up to 90 cm (35 in) in diameter and up to 1 metre high when in flower, and consist of sharp spines, all pointing out from the centre. The leaflets are thick, and have rough margins and red-orange midribs. Yellow flowers may also be present, located on long, narrow, and strong stems. A. colensoi is endemic and can be found in both main islands of New Zealand, typically in altitudes from 900 to 1,500 m.
Hadramphus tuberculatus is a rare weevil endemic to Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. It was thought to be extinct in 1922 but was rediscovered in 2004.
The Chatham Islands parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as a result of a range of threats to the species survival, including habitat loss, predation, and hybridization. A number of conservation methods have been employed to assist the recovery of this species, and currently the population trend is considered stable.
The Chatham Islands rail, also known as the Chatham rail is an extinct flightless species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, in the Chatham archipelago of New Zealand. The Chatham Islands rail was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. Its Māori name was "mātirakahu".
Dieffenbach's rail, known in the Moriori language as meriki or mehoriki, is an extinct flightless species of bird from the family Rallidae. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands.
Aciphylla congesta is a species of Aciphylla endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Thomas Frederic Cheeseman in 1914.
Aciphylla aurea, known as taramea in Māori and golden speargrass or golden Spaniard in New Zealand English, is a large, spiky, tufted plant with sharp yellowish-green leaves in the speargrass genus Aciphylla. A. aurea is found throughout the South Island of New Zealand in montane to low alpine habitats.
Ichneutica nullifera is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the Tongariro National Park, along the Wellington coast and throughout the South Island. The adults are large and the forewing of adults can vary in colour from pale fawn to dark grey. The larvae are coloured a bright yellow-brown with a paler underside. The larval host species are in the genus Aciphylla and as a result the adult moths are often found in habitat dominated by species in this genus. Adults are on the wing from November to early April and are sometimes attracted to light.
Hadramphus spinipennis, commonly called the coxella weevil, is a large, nocturnal, flightless weevil only found on Mangere and Rangatira Islands in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
Lyperobius huttoni is a New Zealand weevil found in alpine areas of the South Island and at sea level around the Wellington coast. It feeds only on speargrass (Aciphylla). Weevils from the endangered Wellington population have been translocated to predator-free Mana Island.
Lyperobius clarkei is a flightless weevil found in alpine areas of Buller and Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand.
Aciphylla anomala is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It was formally described by botanist Harry Allan in his 1961 work Flora of New Zealand. The type was collected on Mount Peel. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek anōmalía, meaning "unusual".
Carex ventosa, also known as Chatham Islands forest sedge, is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to the Chatham Islands.
Aciphylla squarrosa, or common speargrass, is a species of Aciphylla.
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