Flora of New Zealand Series

Pozoa haastii Hook. f. Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 88.

Pozoa elegans Col. in T.N.Z.I. 23, 1891, 386.

Azorella haastii Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 192.

Type locality: Hunter R. 3500-4500 ft. "amongst rocky and shingly places". Type: K, Haast, April 1863.

Glab. herb with lvs tufted at nodes of rhizomes, often emitting stolons bearing offset plants. Lvs on stout petioles (2)-3-7·5-(15) cm. or even longer, expanded and sheathing at base. Lamina glab. to strigose, (5)-25-(40) mm. diam., reniform to suborbicular, subcoriac. to fleshy, shallowly rather coarsely crenate; margins ± thickened; sinus narrow to open, or base cordate. Stipules ciliate, sts laciniate, to fimbriate. Umbels often compound, on peduncles up to c. 15 mm. long, up to ± 15 mm. diam.; rays us. ∞.Involucral bracts linear-oblong, up to c. 5mm. long or ± foliaceous at base of main umbel. Fls (3)-(20)-50, crowded. Fr. tetragonous, ± 2 mm. long on pedicels up to c. 6·5 mm. long. Mericarps obscurely to distinctly 5-ribbed.

DIST.; N., S. Montane to subalpine rocky and stony places and fellfield from Ruahine Range southwards.

FL. 12-2. FT. 1-3.

A somewhat polymorphic sp., easily separable into two main groups corresponding to Domin's subspp. (loc. cit. 581-583). He distinguishes them by the following key: "Minor, laminis c.5-10 mm. longis, fructibus pedicellis haud multo brevioribus, petalis cyaneis Subsp. cyanopetalum Major, laminis c. 12-30 mm. longis, fructibus pedicellis usque 4-plo brevioribus Subsp. Hookerianum"