Aciphylla Dobsonii

Dobson’s speargrass is a formidable miniature of New Zealand’s high mountains, forming a hard, ground-hugging cushion of tightly packed rosettes that can eventually spread to a metre across. Rigid, leathery yellow-green leaves end in sharp points, while stout stems carry dense cream flower clusters above the mat. Endemic to exposed greywacke fellfields and alpine herbfields, it survives severe frost, wind and intense light but resents stagnant moisture. Its sculptural texture and extreme adaptation make it an exceptional subject for a specialist scree or alpine house.