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Aciphylla colensoi
Also called Giant Speargrass
Aciphylla colensoi is a species of Aciphylla, commonly known as giant speargrass, Spaniard, or by its Māori-language name taramea. Individual plants may be up to 90 cm (35 in) in diameter and up to 1 metre (39 in) high when in flower, and consist of sharp spines, all pointing out from the centre. The leaflets are thick, and have rough margins and red-orange midribs. Yellow flowers may also be present, located on long, narrow, and strong stems. A. colensoi is endemic and can be found in both main islands of New Zealand, typically in altitudes from 900 to 1,500 m (3,000 to 4,900 ft).
It is found on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand from south of Mount Hikurangi through to the middle of Canterbury. It is found from 900 to 1,500 metres (3,000 to 4,900 ft) in subalpine to low alpine areas. They are often found in moist conditions on sites featuring a mix of snow tussock scrub, grassland, and herbfields.
Aciphylla anomala · Golden speargrass · Aciphylla congesta · Coxella · Fierce Spaniard · Mountain Celery · Aciphylla glaucescens · Aciphylla horrida · Aciphylla monroi · Aciphylla scott-thomsonii · Common Speargrass · Aciphylla subflabellata
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aciphylla colensoi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
