Phil Bendle Collection:Aciphylla aurea (Golden Spaniard)

Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Aciphylla
Species: A. aurea
Binomial name: Aciphylla aurea
Common names: Golden Spaniard, Golden Speargrass, taramea.

Aciphylla aurea is a species in the genus Aciphylla (bayonet plant) which belongs to the family of the Apiaceae (Carrot Family). 
Aciphylla aurea is a robust yellowish-green-golden large spiky plant which forms clumps to 1 m with a tall robust very spiky flower head which can remain for up to 2 years. It is a coloniser of arid windswept, cold dry grassland and tussock areas (300-1500 m.a.s.l.) and can withstand temperatures down to -17, 7º C.
Aciphylla aurea has yellow star-shaped flowers that are arranged in large compound umbels that appear during November-December. Fruits appear January-February.

For more details visit: http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1451  

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Photographed March at  Arthurs Pass, South Island, New Zealand.
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 

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