Flora of New Zealand Series

Primary root short-lived, succeeded by many strong adventitious roots. Stem stout, to 2 cm diam., usually simple, clothed with old lf bases; hairs copious, fine, long. Lvs radical, rosulate, with very broad flat petioles. Lamina ± erect, 3-8 × 2-5 cm, elliptic-obovate to obovate-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, glabrous except for a few sparse hairs at margin; main veins 5-7; margins usually with a few small teeth; apex obtuse to subacute; base attenuate. Scape 8-20 cm long, with scattered long hairs on upper part. Spike many-flowered, to 15 cm long at fruiting, with fls lax below and densely packed towards apex. Bracts c. 2 mm long, ovate, mostly thickened but with no distinct keel, glabrous, enclosing conspicuous tufts of long brown hairs. Sepals c. 2 mm long, broadly ovate, glabrous, with narrow indistinct keel. Corolla tube short; lobes c. 1.5 × 0.6 mm, narrow. Capsule c. 3 mm long, compressed, broad-ellipsoid. Seeds 1-(2), c. 2 mm long, elongated with convex side ± rugose, not markedly flattened.

A.

Endemic.

Saturated stony ground under the rocky summits.

FL Oct-Dec.

Although P. aucklandica is put in a different sect. to the abundantly naturalised P. major (the latter is absent from the Subantarctic Is), the 2 spp. have a remarkably similar appearance superficially.