Flora of New Zealand Series

Stoloniferous perennial; stems 1-2, ascending, simple, 1-5 cm tall. Lvs mostly basal; basal lvs cuneate to short petiole, densely white-tomentose on lower surface except mid-vein, usually glabrous and folded, sometimes sparsely tomentose and plane on upper, elliptic to linear-elliptic or narrow-oblanceolate, obtuse to subacute, 5-20 × 0.5-2-(4) mm; cauline lvs 1-3, scalelike, scarcely reduced upwards, ovate-triangular, amplexicaul. Capitula c. 1 mm diam., solitary; subtending lvs 0; scape amongst lvs at flowering, filiform and exceeding lvs at fruiting. Involucral bracts elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 3.8-4.5 mm long; stereome green, tinged reddish purple at apex; lamina pale brown, with darker band at base; gap and margins tinged pale to deep reddish purple. Achenes with short antrorse hairs, c. 1 mm long.

N.: south of Volcanic Plateau; S.: Nelson, Westland, Fiordland; St.: local.

Endemic.

Montane to subalpine bogs, seepages and other wet sites.

G. polylepis was described at varietal level within G. paludosum by Drury (1972, op. cit.), but is accepted here as a distinct sp. The 2 spp. are very similar but G. paludosum can be distinguished usually by the folded lvs, fewer ⚥ florets [1-3-(5) cf. (2)-4-7], fewer, longer bracts, and longer achene hairs. It is also usually a plant of bogs.