Flora of New Zealand Series

O. arborescens var. capillaris (Buchan.) Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 268.

Type locality: "Nelson Mountains, altitude 4000 feet". Type: not located.

Shrub, us. much and subdivaricately branched, up to c. 1 m. tall, or occ. a small tree. Stem and branches rather stout, with furrowed papery flaking pale bark; branchlets slender, ± zigzag, clad in appressed pale buff tomentum as are the petioles and infl.-branches. Lvs silky-hairy above when young, clad below in closely appressed silvery tomentum. Lvs of 2 dimensions: (a) exposed lvs broad-ovate to suborbicular, obtuse, often apiculate, ± 5-15 mm. diam., coriac. to subcoriac., entire or nearly so; (b) shaded lvs broad-ovate to ovate-oblong, submembr. to membr., ± 2-3 × 1-2 cm., obtuse to acute or subacuminate, ± sinuate. Individual plants may bear both forms or only one, according to exposure. Capitula (3)-5-11-(15) in small lax corymbs on capillary pedicels 5-10 mm. long; phyll. nearly glab., ciliolate; florets 8-12. Achenes similar to those of O. arborescens but us. a little longer.

DIST.: N., S. Montane forest margins and streamsides from lat. 39° to 43°, but local.

FL. 10-2. FT. 10-?

There is a specimen in K labelled: "Cheeseman No. 1742, Nelson Mountains, H. H. Travers, ex J. Buchanan". This has lvs 7·5-15 × 7·5-10 mm., on petioles c. 5 mm.