Haastia pulvinaris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Haastia pulvinaris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Haastia pulvinaris in Nelson Lakes National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Haastia |
| Species: | H. pulvinaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Haastia pulvinaris Laing | |
Haastia pulvinaris, or vegetable sheep, is a species of perennial alpine plant that grows in a bizarre, sheep-like formation on scree slopes in the South Island of New Zealand.[2][1][3]
It is not actually a sheep; but from far away, the vegetable sheep can look like a flock of them on the rocky slopes where they live.
Haastia pulvinaris is a stout, white perennial that grows in thick mats. These mats give the appearance of felting together, with each section having a 1" or so wide circular felted leaf, and sometimes with a black dot or an orange flower in the middle. The mats can grow up to a few metres in length, and they give the appearance of a flock of sheep from far away.
Range
Known only from the South Island. A species of Raoulia forms vegetable sheep on the North Island.
Habitat
Scree slopes and alpine rock fields.
