Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Lake Lyndon, Canterbury. Type: BD 75725, "Moist gravel at lake shores", G. Simpson and J. S. Thomson.

Hairs rather stiff, ± spreading, sts = 1/2 If-width. Lateral branches us. ∞ and short. Bracts obliquely sessile, distichous, us. overlapping, us. narrow-oblong (5-7 × 1-2 mm. in type). Calyx 2-3 mm. long; hairs very long spreading and short erect. Corolla white to pale yellow, us. < 1 mm. diam., tube 2 mm. long. Nutlets c. 1 mm. long, pointed.

DIST.: N. Wellington west coast (Ohau and Te Ikaamaru Bays). S. Waimakariri Glacier 4000 ft.; Lake Lyndon; Central Otago. Open ± shingly places.

The authors say "The variety differs from all the many forms of the species by its densely leafy stems and the many minute flowers" but there are intermediates and the largest of the 5 specimens on the type sheet differs from the others in fls twice as large with retrorse short hairs on calyx. Small but very sturdy plants with tightly packed branches and bracts and extremely small fls were included by Cockayne in his var. imbricata (nomen nudum, Veg. N.Z. ed. 2, 1928, 396) recorded as locally endemic to the North Otago district.