About Phyllachne colensoi (Hook.fil.) Berggr.
Phyllachne colensoi, commonly called the yellow cushionplant, is a cushion plant species belonging to the Stylidiaceae family. It is native to both New Zealand and Tasmania; its arrival and establishment in Tasmania is considered a fairly recent dispersal event. In upland bog habitats, this species is often the dominant vegetation. It grows across all high mountain areas of New Zealand, while in Tasmania it has only been recorded at 12 sites located in the western and south-western parts of the island. Phyllachne colensoi is a perennial plant that forms dense cushion mounds, made up of many short, densely packed erect stems. Its leaves are small, sessile, and measure only 2 to 3 millimeters in length. It produces solitary white flowers that sit close to the cushion mound. Both flowers and fruits develop from December through March. This species was first formally described as Helophyllum colensoi by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1864, and was later reclassified into the genus Phyllachne by Sven Berggren in 1877.
