Abrotanella caespitosa

Abrotanella caespitosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Abrotanella
Species:	A. caespitosa
Binomial name
Abrotanella caespitosa Petrie ex Kirk

Abrotanella caespitosa is a member of the daisy family and is an endemic species of New Zealand.[1]

Description

Abrotanella caespitosa forms a loose cushion habit with runners that have distant scale leaves. It has narrower leaves compared to its close relatives and lacks a waxy bloom on its leaves.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in the South Island and southern North Island of New Zealand.[3] It grows in alpine herbfield habitats.[2]

Taxonomy and evolution

Abrotanella caespitosa is closely related to A. inconspicua, A. nivigena (from Australia), and A. patearoa. These four species form a well-supported clade and have almost identical DNA sequences, suggesting they diverged within the last 500,000 years. Abrotanella caespitosa is part of a radiation of Abrotanella species that occurred during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, associated with mountain building and glaciation episodes.[2]

Gallery

• 
  Herbarium specimen from the Auckland War Memorial Museum
• 
  Close-up and root system of A. caespitosa
• 
  Flowering A. caespitosa
• 
  A. caespitosa growing in a rocky alpine environment in the Nelson Lakes National Park

References

1. Kew Science Plants of the World Online, retrieved 26 June 2020
2. Wagstaff, Steven J.; Breitwieser, Ilse; Swenson, Ulf (2006). "Origin and relationships of the austral genus Abrotanella (Asteraceae) inferred from DNA sequences". Taxon. 55 (1): 95–106. doi:10.2307/25065531. JSTOR 25065531.
3. "Abrotanella caespitosa Fact Sheet". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 28 September 2024.