Astelia nervosa Hook.f.
A. nervosa var. montana Kirk ex Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 714.
A. cockaynei Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 318.
Type locality: Red Hills, Wairau Valley, Marlborough. Type: K, Bidwill n. 80.
Tufted plants often forming considerable colonies. Stem 1–2–(3) cm. diam. Lvs 50–150–(200) × 2–4–(6) cm., arched stiffly outwards and of firm texture, strongly keeled above the sheath; sheath to 8 cm. wide at base, thickly clad in scales; lamina adaxially green and covered with scales that form a continuous smooth transparent pellicle or are in parts or overall ruffled up into a white shaggy fur that obscures the green colour; abaxial surface with persistent indumentum of white or bronzed scales overlying a thin, hardly felted layer of wool and with lateral costae (1–2 on each side of midrib) not prominent. Infl. erect, most parts covered with scales; peduncle about = panicle, spathes longer; racemes us. < 12, all single or 2–3 in each of the 1–3 lowest spathes. Fls from light greenish fawn to very dark maroon, us. pedicellate and well spaced on relatively slender axes; tepals 4–6 × 2.5–4.5 mm., widely spreading in ♂, in ♀ curling outwards from deep per.-tube. Ovary 3-locular, pyriform. Fr. 8–15 × 5–8 mm., broadly ovate, various shades of orange to almost red, ± surrounded, at least until fully ripe, by ± fleshy scaly cup developed from per. n = 105.
DIST.: N., S., St. Rare north of lat. 37º.
Montane to subalpine forest and tussock grassland.
FL. 10–12. FT. 2–5.
The name A. cockaynei was published as a synonym of A. nervosa var. montana and for both the lectotype is WELT 32695, Jollie's Pass, Amuri, T. Kirk.
The history of the confused use of the epithet nervosa is traced by Moore (N.Z. J. Bot. 4, 1966, 208–212) who also discusses briefly several geographical and ecological variants of the sp.
