Flora of New Zealand Series

Senecio quadridentatus Labill. Nov. Holl Pl. Sp. 2, 1806, 48, t. 194.

Type locality: "Nova Hollandia in capite Van Diemen". Type: Herb. Univ. Flor., Firenze, Labillardière.

Short-lived perennial herb; stems up to ± 5 dm. long, erect, sulcate, us. much-branched from hard woody stock; branches clad in dense white cobwebby tomentum, thinning with age. Lower and mid lvs subsessile, ± 5-10 cm. × 2-5 mm., linear to narrow-lanceolate, strongly recurved, often almost to midrib, acute to subacuminate, clad in cobwebby white hairs on both surfaces, becoming ± glab. above with age, obscurely and remotely denticulate. Upper lvs similar, us. with small auricles at base, merging into linear bracts of infl. Infl. a lax corymbose panicle with ∞ capitula up to 10 mm. long, 7 mm. diam. on slender hairy pedicels; calyculus of a few bracteoles c. 2 mm. long. Phyll. 10-14, ± 6·5-8 mm. long, narrowed from base to acute apex, margins ciliolate, scarious. Florets ± 20-30; ♀ filiform, 5·5-6 mm. long, (3)-4-toothed; perfect slender-funnelform, teeth 4-5, slightly thickened at tips. Achenes narrow-cylindric, very slightly curved, narrowed abruptly to apex, scabridulous on flattish ribs, c. 2.5-3-(4) mm. long. Pappus-hairs fine, white, 5-6 mm. long.

DIST.: Three Kings, N., S., St. Lowland to montane grassland, forest margins, open places throughout. Also in Australia, Tasmania, Timor.

Specimens from Tasmania seen by me are quite comparable with the common tomentose N.Z. form.