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Aciphylla
Also called Spaniard, Speargrass
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, all but two of them endemic to New Zealand (the remaining two species are found only in Australia). They range from small cushion plants to tall flower spikes surrounded by rosettes of stiff, pointed leaves, the latter probably adaptations to prevent browsing by moa. Their common name is speargrass or Spaniard. Most Aciphylla species preferred habitats are in subalpine or alpine habitats in the South Island. Fragrant oil extracted from some large species, known as taramea, is still used as a perfume by Māori.
All but two species of Aciphylla are confined to New Zealand; the remaining two are endemic to Australia. Most species live in or near the alpine zone, but they range from mountains to coast. The group reaches its highest diversity in the South Island.
Aciphylla anomala · Golden speargrass · Colenso's Spaniard · Aciphylla congesta · Coxella · Fierce Spaniard · Mountain Celery · Aciphylla glaucescens · Aciphylla horrida · Aciphylla monroi · Aciphylla scott-thomsonii · Common Speargrass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aciphylla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
