lancewood tree daisy

Olearia lacunosa | lancewood tree daisy

 

This robust, spreading tree daisy, typically 1.5 to 4m tall, thrives in subalpine forests from the Tararua Range to Franz Joseph Glacier. It often grows with multiple trunks and shedding its orange-brown bark in long, thin strips. It features distinctive long, narrow, dark green leaves with wrinkled upper surfaces and soft, rusty-brown undersides. Beautiful white daisy flower-heads emerge during spring and summer adding charm to a garden.

subalpine forest

alpine

montane forest

dry

free draining

full sun

partial shade

height | 4m

width | 1m / 20cm (trunk)

flowering | November - February

fruiting | January - February

The scientific name Olearia lacunosa has a fascinating origin. Olearia honors German botanist Johann Gottfried Ölschläger, whose surname was Latinized to Olearius, meaning "oil presser." Lacunosa comes from the Latin word "lacuna," meaning "gap or cavity," referring to the distinctive sunken spaces formed by the lateral veins on the underside of the leaf.