Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Whakairi. Type: A, J. Adams, 1882.

Tufted herb with simple or sparingly branched stock, pseudo-stem up to ± 6 cm. long. Lamina subcoriac., acute, often with fine apiculus, (9)-10-15-(30) cm. × 10-15-(25) mm., narrowly oblong-lanceolate to almost linear-oblong (diverse forms may occur on same plant); upper surface glab. or nearly so, with ± distinct thin pellicle, midrib broad, grooved, main veins ± evident; lower clad in soft white appressed or subappressed tomentum, midrib prominent; margins distantly finely denticulate, narrowing to petiole up to c. 3 cm. long; sheath ± 5 cm. × 15 mm., veins evident, surface tomentum ± as in lamina, margins floccose. Scape 15-30-(40) cm. long, rather slender, often flexuous, ± flattened, ± clad in floccose tomentum. Bracts us. few, up to 1 cm. long, lamina almost filiform. Capitula ± 3-4 cm. diam.; phyll. linear-subulate to narrow-lanceolate, c. 12 mm. long, margins ciliolate, midrib evident. Ray-florets ∞, up to c. 25 mm. long, tube slender; limb gradually widened to 4-toothed apex, veins distinct. Disk-florets c. 6 mm. long, narrow-funnelform, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes glab., strongly ribbed, narrowly compressed-cylindric to very narrowly obovoid, ± 4 mm. long. Pappus-hairs sordid-white, up to 5 mm. long, slender, finely barbellate.

DIST.: N. Coromandel Peninsula in rocky places.

A somewhat polymorphic sp., the short broad-lvd forms probably worthy of varietal rank.