Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Arthur Pass. Type: A, 6468, T.F. C.

Rather stout tufted plant up to 4 dm. tall. Lvs up to ± 25 cm. long, us. shorter, including sheath ± 6·5 × 1 cm., with smooth margins. Stipules stiff, almost capillary, up to 3 cm. long, pungent; petioles up to 8 cm. × 5 mm., flattened, smooth or nearly so; internodes ± 25 mm. long, midrib stout, wings narrow. Pinnae 4-10 pairs, up to 8 cm. × 2-4 mm., ascending, in one plane; margins thickened, cartilaginous. Stems of male plants 30-40 cm. long including panicle. Bract-sheaths much wider than in A. monroi, lamina pinnate. Umbels several to many, forming an open panicle ± 10 cm. diam., on rather stout short rays; umbellules small on 10-15 short rays. Stems of female plants similar to those of male, infl. c. 15 cm. long. Bract-sheaths ± 2 cm. × 5-(10) mm., rather thin; stipules very narrow, c. 1 cm. long, on short ligules; lamina with 1-2 pairs of lflts, terminal lflt up to c. 15 mm. long. Umbels rather distant; rays ± 5 cm. long. slender, us. many. Involucral bracts narrow-linear, ± 1 cm. long. Umbellules ± 1 cm. diam.; rays ∞, up to 10 mm. long. Fr ± 3-4-(5) mm. long; mericarps 3-5-winged.

DIST.: S. Higher montane to subalpine from c. lat. 42º 30' to 45º 30'.

J.F. Armstrong (T.N.Z.I. 4, 1872, 290) based his A. montana on specimens collected by W. Gray and himself " on rocky ledges 4,000 feet altitude, Rangitata District, 1869 ". The description includes: "Small, 8-10 inches high, smooth and shining. Radical leaves numerous, spreading, 4-5 inches long, pinnate. Leaflets jointed, 2-3 inches long, 1/5-1/8 broad, linear or sword-shaped, pungent, striate, midrib rather obscure; sheath 1-11/2 inches long, ?-1/2 inch broad. with one small subulate leaflet on top of each side . . . Umbels few, fascicled, in a concentrated panicle 2 inches long . . . A curious little species approaching some states of A. monroi Hook. f. but sufficiently distinct in the fascicled umbels and very large bracts. " Kirk (Stud. Fl.1899, 209) places the name as a synonym of A. lyallii, as he does A. hectori Buchan. The type, in the Armstrong Herbarium at CM, consists of 2 stalks, both with female infl., the longer with a few frs but no lvs (only bracts), the shorter with younger infl. and badly insect-damaged in fl. region, and with 3-4 basal lvs. The sheet is labelled in pencil " similis ? A.W."