the Chatham Islands tree daisy found nowhere else

Size
Height: 2-5 m
Lifespan
Perennial
Diet
Not applicable - autotrophic. Photosynthetic shrub or small tree. Obtains nutrients from thin, well-drained soils.
Habitat
Chatham Islands. Grows in coastal scrub and forest margins on the main Chatham Island and Pitt Island.
Range
Endemic to the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu), New Zealand. Found on the main Chatham Island and Pitt Island.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
No significant threats due to island isolation. Climate change may affect coastal habitats.
Population
Restricted to the Chatham Islands. Populations stable but range limited. Not threatened.
Conservation Status
data_deficient
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native shrub, safe to handle
Conservation Note
Endemic tree daisy restricted to Chatham Islands; data insufficient for full threat classification.
Assessment
NZTCS Vascular Plants (2023)
Te Ao Māori
Macrolearia semidentata has no widely recognised Māori name. It grows on the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu). Home of the Moriori people. The plant is part of the unique biodiversity of the Chathams. A region of deep cultural and spiritual significance.
Taxonomy shifted its genus. A tree daisy found only on the Chatham Islands. Isolated in the South Pacific. Macrolearia semidentata is one of the distinctive plants of this remote archipelago. A place where many species evolved in isolation. The leaves are large. Leathery. Toothed along the margins. The name semidentata means "half-toothed". Referring to the leaf edges. The flowers are white. Daisy-like. Appearing in summer. Macrolearia semidentata was once known as Olearia semidentata. In 2022, the genus Macrolearia was created. To house the largest-leaved tree daisies. The Chatham Islands species belongs in this group. The Chatham Islands are 800 kilometres east of New Zealand. They have their own unique flora and fauna. Macrolearia semidentata is part of that uniqueness. It grows nowhere else. On the Chathams, the tree daisy grows in coastal scrub and forest margins. It is not common. But it is not rare. It is just there. Part of the landscape. The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands knew this plant. They used the wood for tools. They observed its flowering. The plant was part of their world. Macrolearia semidentata is not threatened. The Chatham Islands are remote. The plant is safe there. It carries on.