| Leptinella nana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leptinella nana, a pygmy button daisy | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Leptinella |
| Species: | L. nana |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptinella nana (D.G.Lloyd) D.G.Lloyd & C.J.Webb, 1987 [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Leptinella nana or pygmy button daisy is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is known from only three sites in New Zealand.
Leptinella nana was first collected from Tītahi Bay in 1907. [3] It was described as a species in 1972 by David G. Lloyd, originally under the genus Cotula . [2] Leptinella was reinstated as a genus in 1987 due to the distinctive shape of the corolla of their female florets, compared to other Cortula. [1] It is closely related to L. filiformis and L. minor , which are also lowland and low–growing Leptinella. [3]
Leptinella nana is a small, low–growing herb that grows in small patches, often joined with rhizomes that are visible at the ground surface. The leaves are small, green and either free of hairs or with fine sparse ones. Flowers are minute (1.5 to 2 mm wide), yellow–green and tubular. [1]
This species is still found at the type location of Mount Pleasant in the Port Hills, Christchurch, New Zealand. Populations are also found at Rai Valley in Marlborough and Tītahi Bay, on the Wellington coast. L. nana requires small sites that undergo constant disturbance for it to be able to colonise bare soil. It is frequently outcompeted by other plants in damp environments and cannot persist in dry ones. These three sites have similar well draining soils, containing either sand, loess or clay. [3]
Leptinella nana has the highest threat ranking of 'Nationally Critical' under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. [4] Regular monitoring of L. nana occurs at all three known sites at least twice per year. This involves population density estimates, weeding around the plants to reduce exotic competitors and mapping of the daisy population. Specimens from the Mount Pleasant and Tītahi Bay populations are being cultivated at numerous sites, including Mana Island, Otari and Christchurch Botanic Gardens. [3]
Clianthus, commonly known as kakabeak, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, comprising two species of shrubs native to New Zealand. They have striking clusters of red flowers which resemble the beak of the kaka, a New Zealand parrot. The plants are also known as parrot's beak, parrot's bill and lobster claw – all references to the distinctive flowers. There is also a variety with white to creamy coloured flowers called: "Albus," and a variety with rosy pink flowers called: "Roseus."
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Leptinella filiformis, or slender button daisy, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family, found only in the north-eastern part of the South Island of New Zealand. Thought to be extinct by the 1980s, it was rediscovered growing on a Hanmer Springs hotel lawn in 1998, and in the wild in 2015.
Geoffrey Thomas Sandford Baylis was a New Zealand botanist and Emeritus Professor specialising in plant pathology and mycorrhiza. He was employed at the University of Otago for 34 years undertaking research into plant and fungal ecology and symbiotic interactions, taxonomy and anatomy. He collected hundreds of plant specimens in the field and founded the Otago Regional Herbarium (OTA). He discovered the sole Pennantia baylisiana living on Three Kings Island in 1945, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1961.
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Alseuosmia quercifolia, commonly known as oak-leaved toropapa, toropapa, and karapapa (Māori), is a species of plant in the family Alseuosmiaceae. It grows as a shrub, reaching a height of 2.5 m, and has variably shaped glossy green leaves. Flowering begins in spring, producing fragrant pink flowers which become red berries in Autumn. Endemic to New Zealand, it is found only in the upper half of the North Island - predominately in the Waikato region.
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Media related to Leptinella nana at Wikimedia Commons