Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Mount Rochfort. Type: A, 7213, W. Townson.

Perennial from rather deeply descending root; stock simple or branched. Stems solitary or several, occ. branched, erect, wiry, 15-30-(50) cm. tall, rather slender, margined, very finely striate. Basal lvs crowded, subrosulate, coriac., subfleshy, ± glossy. Lamina somewhat diversely shaped, (10)-20-30-(40) × 4-8-(10) mm., elliptic- to obovate-oblong to ± lanceolate, subacute, narrowed to petiole ± 2-5-(10) mm. long. Lower cauline lvs similar, upper sessile, subacute, in 2-5 ± lanceolate pairs, diminishing upwards into infl.-bracts; lower internodes up to c. 8 cm. long. Infl. an irregular terminal bracted compound umbel. Fls 5-15; bracts us. whorled, 10-12 mm. long, lanceolate-subulate; pedicels slender. Calyx 10-12 mm. long, cut at least 3/4 way into lanceolate to subulate acute lobes; midvein evident, sinus narrow. Corolla white, 14-15 × 14-15 mm., cut at least 3/4 way into distinctly veined broad-obovate to broad-oblong lobes.

DIST.: S. Coastal to montane "pakihis" and subalpine grassland from c. lat. 41° to 43°, mainly along and west of divide.

The type is illustrated as Plate 139 in Ill. N.Z. Fl. 2, 1914, under which Cheeseman remarks: "Situated on the coast-line of north-west Nelson, and flanking the Papahua and Paparoa Mountains, are long stretches of somewhat dreary swampy plains locally known as 'pakihis'. Some of these descend almost to sea-level, others reach a considerable height on the sides of the mountains. Much of their surface is so wet as to form veritable swamps . . . In drier places they are usually covered with Leptospermum . . . It is in this locality that the subject of this plate is commonly found."

Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 730) adds "Sounds of the south-west of Otago, Lyall (fide N. E. Brown)".