Kingdom Plantae Family Apiaceae Rank Species | Order Apiales Genus Aciphylla | |
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Similar Aciphylla, Aciphylla colensoi, Aciphylla dieffenbachii, Aciphylla glacialis, Celmisia | ||
Aciphylla aurea is a species of Aciphylla, commonly known as golden speargrass or golden Spaniard. Individual plants may be up to 100 cm (39 in) tall, and consist of sharp spiky yellowish-green leaves. A. aurea is found throughout the South Island of New Zealand, usually in mountainous areas but also lower altitude dry well drained grassland sites. It is found at altitudes of 300 to 1,500 m (980 to 4,920 ft).
The aurea part of the name refers to the distinctive golden colour of the plant.
Golden Spaniard flowers from January to February with a yellow or cream colour. The flowerhead is very spiky, quite large and solid.
References
Aciphylla aurea Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA