Mountain Aniseed

Botanical name: Gingidia montana
Synonyms: Gingidium montanum, Ligusticum gingidium, Anisotome gingidium, Angelica gingidium, Angelica montana
Common name(s): Mountain Aniseed, New Zealand Aniseed, Māori Anise, Native Angelica, Koheriki, Naupiro

About:
A robust, aromatic perennial herb with large, dark green pinnate leaves and a strong upright growth habit. Gingidia montana is one of the largest and most easily recognised New Zealand Gingidia species, producing substantial leaves divided into broad, toothed leaflets and tall branching flower stems carrying numerous yellowish umbels. Once widespread through open grasslands and river margins, browsing by introduced animals has greatly reduced it in many areas, particularly in the North Island.

Natural habitat:
Occurs from lowland environments to subalpine areas up to approximately 1,300 m elevation. Historically widespread in open grassland, shrubland, riverbanks, rocky places and other open habitats.

Browsing pressure has increasingly restricted populations to cliffs, rocky outcrops, roadside seepages and other sites inaccessible to grazing animals.

Growing environment:
Frost, sun, shade & free draining tolerant. Prefers fertile, moist but well-drained soil and performs in either full sun or partial shade. Unlike some more specialised Gingidia, it tolerates relatively humid conditions.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand and naturally occurring in the North and South Islands. It is widespread through much of the South Island but now extremely scarce within its former North Island range, which extended approximately from Kawhia and southern Hawke’s Bay south to the Wairarapa.

Height:
Foliage commonly 30–80 cm tall, with flowering stems reaching approximately 80 cm.

Width:
Approximately 40–80 cm when mature.

Flowering:
August–May.
Produces branching compound umbels carrying numerous small yellowish to yellow-brown flowers. Individual simple umbels may contain approximately 15–30 flowers.

Fruiting:
October–June.
Produces broadly ovate, winged fruits approximately 4–8 mm long, ripening to dark yellow, brown or dark brown and sometimes developing a purple tinge.

Uses:
• Native herb and tussock gardens
• Rock gardens and exposed slopes
• Riparian and streamside planting
• Ecological restoration
• Large native herbaceous borders
• Specialist native plant collections
• Wildlife and biodiversity planting
• Architectural foliage planting

Appearance:
Growth habit:
A stout to somewhat laxly erect, non-rhizomatous perennial herb. Mature plants develop substantial leafy clumps, with the base commonly surrounded by persistent remnants of older leaves.

Leaves:
Leaves are particularly large, generally 150–800 mm long and 30–150 mm wide, carried on thick, fleshy petioles. They are dark green and slightly glaucous above, with the undersides usually paler and distinctly glaucous.

Each leaf is divided into approximately 5–10 pairs of broad leaflets. Individual leaflets measure about 15–80 × 15–65 mm and range from ovate-oblong to rhomboid. Their margins are prominently serrated or crenate, giving the plant its characteristic coarse but attractive foliage.

The leaves and other parts of the plant are aromatic when crushed, giving rise to the common names Mountain Aniseed and New Zealand Aniseed.

Flowers:
Flowering stems reach approximately 250–800 mm long and terminate in large compound umbels. Each inflorescence generally carries 2–4 compound umbels, which are themselves divided into approximately 5–25 smaller umbels.

The individual flowers are small and yellowish to brown-yellow, but their large numbers create conspicuous branching flower heads above the foliage.

Fruit:
Fruits consist of paired mericarps approximately 4–8 mm long. They are ovate to broadly ovate or ovate-elliptic, with five prominent ribs. The two commissural ribs develop broad wings that aid wind dispersal.

Mature fruits range from dark yellow through brown to dark brown and may occasionally be purple-tinged.

Ecology:
Gingidia montana is an important component of open native grassland, shrubland, rocky and riparian vegetation. Its flowers provide resources for insects, while its winged mericarps are adapted for wind dispersal.

Although able to grow across a broad range of environments, the species is highly palatable to introduced browsing mammals. Grazing has caused substantial declines and has changed its apparent habitat preference in many districts.

Plants are now frequently encountered on cliffs, steep rocky faces, roadside bluffs and other inaccessible locations, not necessarily because these represent optimum habitat, but because they provide refuge from browsing.

Associated habitats:
Lowland to subalpine grassland, tussock grassland, open shrubland, riverbanks, stream margins, rocky outcrops, cliffs, roadside bluffs and seepages.

In the South Island it may occur within open high-country vegetation alongside native tussocks, herbs and low-growing shrubs.

How to grow:
One of the easier New Zealand Gingidia species to cultivate. Plant in fertile, moisture-retentive but freely draining soil in full sun or partial shade.

Unlike many specialised alpine members of the genus, Gingidia montana tolerates humidity reasonably well. Regular moisture encourages strong foliage development, although waterlogged soils should be avoided.

Allow sufficient room for the large leaves to develop without being crowded by neighbouring plants. It can make an impressive foliage specimen amongst tussocks, grasses and other herbaceous natives.

Propagation:
Easily propagated from fresh seed. Sow into a good-quality, free-draining seed-raising mixture and maintain consistent moisture until germination.

Young plants can be potted on into fertile soil and generally establish readily compared with many of New Zealand’s more specialised alpine Apiaceae.

Cultural use:
The plant is known by Māori names including koheriki and naupiro and is also commonly called Māori anise because of its aromatic foliage. Its strongly scented leaves contribute to its interest as one of New Zealand’s distinctive native aromatic herbs.

Garden value:
An excellent native herbaceous plant with considerable landscape potential. Its large, deeply divided dark green foliage gives it a lush, almost subtropical appearance despite its ability to grow naturally into subalpine environments.

The combination of architectural leaves, long flowering season and comparatively easy cultivation makes Gingidia montana particularly useful for native borders, rock gardens, streamside plantings and naturalistic tussock landscapes. It is also a valuable species for ecological restoration, particularly where browsing animals can be excluded.