Flora of New Zealand Series

Annual herb; stems densely white-tomentose, 1-many, ascending to erect, 10-50 cm tall. Lvs all cauline at flowering, apetiolate, densely white- tomentose on both surfaces but somewhat denser on lower, narrow-oblanceolate, cuneate, acute and mucronate, flat, 20-45-(60) × 3-6 mm; uppermost lvs smaller and sometimes elliptic-oblong. Capitula 1-2 mm diam., many to numerous in dense, mostly terminal, corymbose clusters; subtending lvs not exceeding clusters at least at fruiting. Middle involucral bracts tomentose outside, 2-2.5 mm long, star-like at fruiting; stereome narrow-oblong, green with upper margin usually purple; lamina ovate, obtuse, milky white, radiating; outer bracts shorter, with lamina reduced or O; inner bracts slightly longer, less hairy. Disc tinged yellow or purple. Achenes ellipsoid-cylindric, minutely papillate, c. 0.4 mm long.

N.: south to vicinity of Auckland City.

South Africa 1970

Sandy coastal sites, swamps, stream and lake edges, waste places, scrubland.

FL Oct-Apr.

This sp. is easily distinguished by the small hairy capitula with white radiating apices to the involucral bracts (Fig. 29). It is usually placed in Gnaphalium as G. candidissmum Lam. although this name is illegitimate (Hilliard and Burtt, op. cit.).

Fig. 29. Capitula of Stuartina and Vellereophyton. A S. muelleri, at fruiting; B V. dealbatum, at anthesis. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X4L]