Flora of New Zealand Series

tussock hawkweed

Stolons 0. Stem erect, slender to stout, 15-75 cm tall, with sparse to numerous long simple eglandular hairs especially below, and numerous to dense stellate hairs at least above. Lvs mostly basal, dull green, slightly paler or often purplish beneath, narrow-elliptic to lanceolate to ovate, obtuse to acute, cuneate at base, with coarse ascending apiculate teeth at least at base; eglandular hairs long, simple, numerous; stellate hairs sparse to numerous. Rosette lvs petiolate; lamina (3)-5-12-(15) × (1.5)-2-5-(7) cm; stem lvs 2-6, similar to basal lvs, smaller, at least the lowest shortly petiolate. Capitula (1)-2-7-(20). Peduncles straight, with dense stellate and sparse eglandular hairs; glandular hairs 0 or few. Involucre 8-12 mm long; bracts very narrowly triangular with sparse to numerous pale dark-based eglandular hairs, sparse to numerous dark glandular hairs, and numerous to dense stellate hairs, especially on margins. Florets bright yellow, not striped on outer face, c. 2× length of involucre. Achenes black, 3-3.5 × c. 0.5 mm. Pappus sordid, 6-7 mm long.

N.: Taranaki (Mt Egmont); S.: Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago.

C. and N. Europe 1946

Grassland, roadsides, riverbanks, riverbeds and gold tailings, beech forest, scrub, pine forests.

H. pollichiae is very similar to H. lepidulum, but is easily recognised by its purple-streaked lvs. The H. argillaceum group and H. murorum have no eglandular simple hairs on the involucral bracts; H. murorum differs further in having only 1-(2) stem lvs and in having truncate lf bases. Most records of H. lachenalii in N.Z. are based on plants of H. lepidulum.