Flora of New Zealand Series

white fuzzweed

Decumbent to ascending perennial herb. Stems usually sparsely to densely clothed in long erect hairs and glandular hairs, rarely only in glandular hairs, becoming glabrous and woody toward base. Lvs obtriangular to obovate, apetiolate and cuneate, obtuse, often 3-(5)-lobed at apex, sometimes with 1-2-(4) pairs of teeth or lobes toward apex, often lowest and uppermost or rarely most lvs entire, glandular, usually with scattered hispid hairs especially on midvein below and margins, rarely glabrous or densely hispid, (4)-8-15-(18) × 2-5-(8) mm. Involucral bracts usually hairy and glandular, sometimes only glandular, 2-8 mm long. Ray florets 8-20-(24); ligules white, 2-6 mm long. Achenes oblanceolate, compressed, with ribbed margins and 4-6 ribs on each face, glandular, sparsely to densely hairy and sometimes with a few longer appressed hairs at base, 3.5-5 mm long.

N.: south of 36°; S.:

Endemic.

Grassland, dry hill slopes, rock outcrops including limestone, riverbeds and other stony places.

FL Oct-Mar-(Jun).

V. australis is variable in lf dissection, hairiness, ray number, and the length of the achene hairs. Two chromosome numbers are reported [2 n = 18, 36, Hair, J. B. and Beuzenberg, E. J., New Zealand J. Bot. 4 : 256 (1966)] both from inland Canterbury but the voucher for the higher number cannot be located. Densely hairy plants from the Chalk Range, Marlborough do not appear to differ consistently from the typical sparsely hairy form in any other character. V. australis is distinguished from the 2 commonly naturalised spp. by the spreading stem hairs (Fig. 20).