''Celmisia discolor'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''

Celmisia ''Celmisia'' (New Zealand aster or New Zealand daisy) is a genus of perennial herbs or subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. Most of the species are endemic to New Zealand; several others are endemic to Australia. ; Species and nothospecies #RED ...

'' that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Description

It is a perennial flower. The flower stems are woody and stout, and up to 35mm long. The flower petals are white.

Distribution and habitat

This species is known from alpine to subalpine areas of mountainous regions of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

, from an elevation of around 1000–1700m. It is less frequent in the drier areas near Canterbury on the eastern slopes.

Etymology

The species-name ''discolor'' refers to the different colors of the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves; ''discolor'' means 'different surfaces' in Latin. However, this trait is not always apparent.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1852 (or 1853) by

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

. The type species is from near

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. ''Celmisia discolor'' contains the following varieties: * ''Celmisia discolor'' var. ''ampla'' * ''Celmisia discolor'' var. ''discolor'' * ''Celmisia discolor'' var. ''intermedia'' There is also a beta variety.

References

Endemic flora of New Zealand discolor {{Astereae-stub