Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Dusky Sound. Type: P? Forster.

Perennial, with stout us. much-branched stems which are prostrate below (often ± buried) then ascending to suberect, 7·5-15 cm. long. Basal lvs ∞, crowded; lamina thick to rather thin, 10-20 × 5-7-9 mm., spathulate or linear-spathulate, obtuse, narrowed to slender petiole ═ or > lamina, nerves not evident. Exposed lvs ± fleshy. Cauline lvs similar, on shorter petioles, close together or distant. Fls terminal, solitary, or in 2-5-fld cymes at tips of branches. Calyx broad, often c. 1/3 corolla-length, cut nearly 3/4 way into linear or linear-ligulate obtuse or subacute lobes recurved at tips; sinuses us. narrow and acute, or one or more broad and rounded. Corolla often up to 20 mm. diam., white, broadly campanulate to subrotate, cut rather > 1/2 way into oblong, obtuse lobes.

DIST.: S., St., islets in Foveaux Strait. Coastal rocks and sands from c. lat. 42° southwards, west of divide in northern part of range.

There are Forsterian specimens at Kew. Kirk (T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 338) says: "Most closely related to G. cerina, Hook f., the sepals of which sometimes exhibit a slight tendency to become recurved." Kirk (T.N.Z.I. 17, 1885, 224) has "Gentiana saxosa, Forst., var. recurvata. A littoral form [Stewart Id] with prostrate or suberect stems excessively branched, flowers produced in profusion. Calyx divided fully two-thirds of its length, segments thickened, subulate, recurved at the tips. Found also on the outlying islets and on the Bluff Hill." Specimens so named by Kirk have been relabelled by him "Gentiana saxosa". They show no differences from G. saxosa proper.

Both Kirk (T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 338) and Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 734) treat the G. hookeri of J. B. Armstrong (T.N.Z.I. 13, 1881, 340) as a synonym of G. saxosa. Armstrong's description, apparently drawn up from a mixed group of specimens, does not fit this placing.

"A dark green perennial herb, sending up numerous sub-decumbent branches. . . . Stem very short. Radical leaves numerous, crowded, petiolate, spathulate or linear-spathulate . . . Petiole 2-3 inches long, pubescent, slender, channelled with a broad clasping base. Blade 1-2 inches long, flaccid, membranous, obtuse, entire or rarely obscurely crenate, minutely pubescent on both surfaces, gradually narrowed into the petiole. Midrib evident, remaining veins obsolete or nearly so . . . Cauline leaves numerous, opposite, of two kinds, the lower as in the radical leaves but smaller, the upper sessile, linear, acute, 1 inch long. Flowers numerous, white and yellow, 1/2 to 1 inch diameter. Peduncles 2-4 inches long, slender, striated or slightly winged, one-flowered. Calyx cleft almost to the base into five narrow, acuminate teeth. Corolla five-cleft to below the middle, white or yellow, with faint blue veins, lobes sub-acute. Fruit not seen. Hab. Canterbury and Otago Provincial Districts, common at considerable elevations.--J.B.A.; Stewart Island.--Rev. Mr. Stack."