Flora of New Zealand Series

Senecio dunedinensis Belcher loc. cit. 56.

Type locality: "Hills near Dunedin". Type: W, D. Petrie.

Stock simple or shortly branched, giving rise annually to 1 or 2 erect simple sulcate stems up to ± 6 dm. tall and c. 5 mm. diam. at rather woody base; branches 0 or few, near infl. Lower lvs rather crowded, spreading, submembr., c. 9-10 × 1 cm., linear to narrow-spathulate to lanceolate-oblong, glab. or nearly so when mature, obtuse, entire or distantly minutely denticulate. Petiole very short, or sts ± = lamina, semiamplexicaul, not or minutely auricled. Mid laminae suberect, ± 6 cm. × 3 mm., linear-lanceolate to linear, us. entire; upper laminae merging into bracts of infl. Infl. laxly subcorymbose, capitula c. 6 mm. long, 5 mm. diam., ∞ to few. Calyculus of few to several minute bracteoles. Phyll. c. 12, 4-5 mm. long, linear, margins hyaline. Florets with teeth thickened slightly at tips; ♀ 4-toothed, perfect 5-toothed. Achenes (1)-2-3 mm. long, subfusiform, finely grooved, hispidulous on ridges only. Pappus-hairs fine, white, 5-8 mm. long.

DIST.: S. Lowland to montane grassland, open and rocky places from c. lat. 43° southwards, local in northern part of range. Also recorded from Stewart Id by Kirk and from swamps at Karioi, near base of Mount Ruapehu, by Petrie.