Flora of New Zealand Series

Perennial rosette herb. Lvs spathulate, or cuneately narrowed to winged petiole, and ovate to obovate, mostly entire, sometimes with 1-(6) pairs of shallow lobes, obtuse to subacute, usually glabrous, sometimes with few hairs on upper surface and with many stalked glandular hairs on lower surface and margin, (12)-30-60 × (3)-7-15 mm. Peduncle usually naked, sometimes with 1 scale-like lf, usually sparsely to moderately clothed in glandular hairs at least near capitulum, rarely glabrous, (5)-12-20 cm long and 0.5-1.2 mm diam. at flowering, up to 30 cm long at fruiting. Involucral bracts lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, obtuse to acute and fimbriate at apex, glandular, (3)-4-6 mm long. Rays numerous, usually white, sometimes tinged pink on reverse, 5-8 mm long. Disc greenish yellow. Achenes obovoid, compressed, eglandular, 1.5-2 mm long; pappus of few bristles 0.1-0.3 mm long.

S.: Owen Range (Nelson), common in inland S. Canterbury and N. Otago.

Endemic.

Tussock grassland, 500-2000 m.

FL Oct-Apr.

Davis (op. cit.) commented on the range of lf form found in B. sinclairii and suggested that variation from entire to pinnate margins is continuous. While entire lvs are sometimes found in B. sinclairii and lobed lvs in B. longiscapa, the 2 spp. can usually be distinguished readily by lf form as well as by the long thin peduncles of B. longiscapa. Herbarium collections indicate that the 2 spp. may be found in the same area and remain distinct. Collections from the Owen Range are referable to B. longiscapa in both lf and peduncle characters, but otherwise similar plants from limestone areas in coastal Marlborough have relatively short peduncles. Some collections from Otago and Southland, particularly those from higher altitudes, have mostly entire lvs but short peduncles as in B. sinclairii. It remains unclear how entire-leaved plants from outside the main range of B. longiscapa should be treated; it is possible that they represent local forms independently derived from B. sinclairii, but it is clear that all entire-leaved plants cannot be accommodated within B. sinclairii. Allan (1961) treated B. longiscapa in incertae sedis.