Aciphylla aurea W.R.B.Oliv.

Taxonomic Identity

Aciphylla aurea W.R.B.Oliv. is a species of tufted herb.

Growth Form and Coloration

Plants are yellow-green, and reach up to 1.5 m in height when in flower or fruit. They form spiky rosettes up to 1 m across, and are dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female.

Leaf Structure

Leaves grow up to 70 cm long, and are once- or twice-pinnately compound with petioles. They have thick, wide sheaths and stiff, sharp, tapering stipules that can reach 27 cm long.

Petiole Characteristics

Petioles are up to 20 cm long, 16 mm wide, and serrulate.

Pinnae Characteristics

Pinnae occur in 1 to 2 pairs, measure around 20 cm long, are erect, and serrulate.

Stem Characteristics

Stems are thick, ribbed, bracted, and tapering, growing up to 80 cm long, with needle-like acicular stipules up to 8 cm long.

Flower and Inflorescence Appearance

Flowers are cream to yellow, grouped into compound umbrella-shaped inflorescences called umbels that have linear bracts.

Male Inflorescence Structure

On male plants, umbels form along the full length of peduncles, which are longer than the umbel rays.

Female Inflorescence Structure

On female plants, umbels grow on peduncles up to 15 cm long, and are made up of small umbellules held on short rays.

Seed Characteristics

Seeds are most often dark brown, and occasionally golden brown, measuring 5 to 7 mm long.

Flowering Period

Flowering occurs from November to December, and is irregular and infrequent, happening only every 3 to 4 years.

Fruiting and Dispersal

Fruiting occurs from January to February, and seeds are dispersed by wind.

Northern South Island Population Traits

Populations of A. aurea in the northern South Island of New Zealand, in the Marlborough and Nelson regions, have distinct characteristics compared to the rest of the species' population, most commonly golden brown rather than dark brown seeds.

Species Distribution

A. aurea is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, ranging from Nelson and Marlborough near Mount Stokes to northern Southland near Te Anau, and grows mostly on the eastern side of the Southern Alps.

Habitat Preferences

It prefers dry, rocky montane to low alpine sites, including grassland, at elevations between 300 and 1,500 metres above sea level. It can be common in the drier mountains of Marlborough.

Environmental Tolerance

A. aurea has a high tolerance for extreme weather conditions, and can survive fires and temperatures as low as -17 degrees Celsius. It occurs in drier climates than some of its close relatives, which may be related to its plant size and tolerance traits.

Traditional Māori Use

Māori historically harvested the milky exudate of A. aurea, one of several large Aciphylla species that produce this substance, to use in making perfume.

Chemical Composition

Chemical analysis of A. aurea has detected the non-volatile polyacetylene falcarindiol; seeds of the species also contain steam-distilled volatiles such as heptanal and octanoic acid.