Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Garvie Range. Type: W, D. L. Poppelwell.

Erect much-branched, glab. except sts at lf-axils, up to 1 m. or more tall; branches moderately stout, bark dark red-brown. Lvs close-set, on stout petioles ± 1 mm. long. Lamina dark green, paler below, ± keeled, erect to subpatent, 6-10 × 4-6 mm., broad-ovate to ovate-oblong, obtuse to subacute, abruptly narrowed to base, thick and coriac.; margins slightly thickened. Subfloral lvs thin and broader. Infl. of (5)-8-12-(16)-fld heads. Per. white or rose, densely silky-hairy; tube 6-9 mm. long, lobes ovate-oblong to oblong, 2-3 mm. long. Fr. very dark brown to almost black, ovoid, hairy at apex, ± 2 mm. long.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine shrubland, grassland and herbfield from lat. 45° to 46°.

FL.- FT. ?

Petrie (loc. cit.) remarks, "intermediate between P. Traversii Hook. f. and P. Crosby-Smithii (mihi)." Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 580) considers it better placed as a var. of P. gnidia, differing "in its smaller, broader and more obtuse leaves". All the specimens I have seen differ distinctly from P. gnidia in any of its forms.