Aciphylla
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, all but two of them endemic to New Zealand (the remaining two species are found only in Australia). 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 preferred habitats are 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.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderApiales
- FamilyApiaceae
Native toChatham Is., New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Victoria
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Description
- Taxonomy
- Large speargrasses
- Small speargrasses
- Sparse-leaved speargrasses
- Cushion speargrasses
- Australian speargrasses
- Other speargrasses
- Habitat
- Cultural use
- Conservation
- Pests and diseases
- References
- External links
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, all but two of them endemic to New Zealand (the remaining two species are found only in Australia). 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 preferred habitats are 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.
== Description == Like other species in the family Apiaceae, speargrasses have taproots and small flowers, which are clustered into inflorescences called umbels. Species can be distinguished by size, habit, flower head and bract size and shape, leaf shape, and the type of stipules growing at the leaf base. Speargrasses in the A. aurea group (six species and three tag-named taxa) have milky sap, while most other species have clear sap. Aciphylla is dioecious, with separate male and female plants which do not flower every year. Because of this, identifying plants to species can depend on leaf characters and locality. The seeds of Aciphylla are winged schizocarps dispersed by the wind.