Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Mountains above Arthur Pass. Type: A, 7460, T. F. Cheeseman.

Rosette us. single, lvs obovate-to linear-spathulate, 3-7 × c. 1·5 cm., tip rounded and ± mucronate, petiole nearly as long as lamina, ill-defined; hairs tapering and flexuous, scarcely overlapping, on under-surface shorter, sparser and retrorse. Lateral branches few, erect, up to 20 cm. long, internodes < or = lvs. Upper stem-lvs sessile and narrow-elliptic, 1·5-3 × 0·5-1 cm., tip broadly acuminate; hairs silky, ∞, ± appressed except on fringed margin, shorter and sparser on under-surface. Cymes ebracteate, to 6 cm. long, little branched, terminal on primary laterals; internodes between frs occ. = calyx; pedicels very short. Calyx long, reaching 10 mm. in fr., lobes c. 1/2 length, obtuse, rather broad and keeled; hairs of several lengths, not crowded, a few weakly hooked, spreading or retrorse towards base. Corolla white, up to 1cm. diam., tube 6-10 mm. long, slightly flaring above, lobes flat, rounded, c. 4 × 3 mm.; filaments very short, fixed just below scales, anthers nearly 2 mm. long, tips reaching just beyond large scales; style > calyx in fr., stigma capitate. Nutlets c. 2.5 mm. long, oblong.

DIST.: S. Recorded certainly only from near type locality. Streamside rocks.

FL.- FT. 12-2.

Brockie (N.Z. Alpines in Field and Garden, 1945) records that a plant of M. explanata "collected from the mountains above Cora Lynn near Arthurs Pass produced flowers of quite an attractive blue-freesia-scented like those of the ordinary white flowered form"; the specimen in CM (W. B. Brockie, Feb. 1941) retains some blue colour.