Aciphylla Pinnatifida

Aciphylla pinnatifida is a distinctive wetland speargrass from New Zealand’s South Island, forming compact rosettes of dark green, pinnately divided leaves marked by conspicuous yellow midribs and sharp tips. Short flower stems carry modest cream or brown umbels, but the real display comes from the disproportionately large, bright orange bract sheaths. It grows naturally beside alpine streams, in wet depressions and around early snowbanks, where the ground remains cool and moist. This rare species is ideal for a specialist alpine bog or permanently damp trough.