Olearia adenocarpa (plains tree daisy)

This is a small-leaved shrub in the daisy family. It is only found on the Waimakariri and Rakaia River floodplains and is classed as ‘nationally critical’ [1]. About 650 plants remain, and only about 11 of these are considered capable of sexual reproduction [2].

Olearia adenocarpa shrub in a garden, with Muehlenbeckia axillaris behind.

Flowers of Olearia adenocarpa.

Cluster of leaves on Olearia adenocarpa.

Hairs on the leaves of Olearia adenocarpa, and a stem that is square in cross-section.

References

[1] de Lange P, Rolfe JR, Barkla JW, Courtney S,Champion PD, Perrie LR, Beadel SM, Ford KA, Breitwieser I, Schönberger I, Hindmarsh-Walls R, Heenan PB, Ladley K (2018) Conservation Status of New Zealand Indigenous Vascular Plants, 2017; Department of Conservation.

[2] Heenan PB & Molloy BPJ (2004). Taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of Olearia adenocarpa (Asteraceae), a new species from braided riverbeds in Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42, 21–36.