Botanical name:

Celmisia discolor

Common name(s):

About:

Celmisia discolor is a sprawling to prostrate, highly variable alpine subshrub found throughout the wetter sub-alpine to alpine areas of New Zealand's South Island. The leaves exhibit diversity in both size and shape, with the upper surface covered in fine hairs, while the underside features a dense white tomentum. The margins of the leaves are slightly toothed. In mid-summer, it blooms with daisy-like white flowers that have a yellow center, borne on slender stalks measuring 10-15cm in length.

Natural habitat:

Subalpine to alpine herb-fields .

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Shade, Wind & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Widespread in mountainous regions of the sub-alpine to low alpine parts of South Island (from 1000 to 1700m) although it is rare or absent from the dry eastern regions and south of Canterbury.

Height: 15cm

Flowering:

December - January with a white, yellow coloured flower/s

Fruiting:

January - April

Uses:

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food & Riparian plantings

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed, cuttings or division.

** Seed germinates without pre treatment. 4 weeks cold stratification will help speed this up though