Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Mount Tongariro. Type: K, J. C. Bidwill. The type has laminae ± 5·5 cm. × 6 mm., sheath c. 1 cm. long.

Erect shrub; branches subverticillate; branchlets brown, tinged red. Lvs suberect, becoming patent to reflexed. Sheath ± 20 × 9 mm., passing by inconspicuous rounded shoulder into coriac. lamina, subglaucous below, (3·5)-10 cm. × 7-12 mm., somewhat constricted at base, rapidly widening then tapering gradually to acute or subacute ± subpungent apex; margins finely serrulate-crenulate. Panicle rather slender, erect, 5-10 × c. 2 cm.; branches spreading, short, ± pubescent. Bracts caducous. Fls rather crowded on short ± pubescent pedicels. Sepals ovate, acute, ciliolate, c. 2 mm. long; corolla-tube narrow-campanulate, c. 4 mm. long; lobes short, broad-triangular, with inflexed tips. Anthers included. Capsule depressed-globose, c. 2.5 mm. diam.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland to higher montane shrubland, forest, from lat. 37º to 42º, mainly west of divide in S.

Lvs of juvenile plants up to ± 11 cm. × 10-15 mm.

Apparently a somewhat polymorphic sp. needing detailed study. D. affine Hook. f.  Fl. Antarct. 1, 1844, 48, based on specimens collected by Dieffenbach on Mount Tongariro, has lvs with sheath c. 1 cm. long, lamina ± 4 cm. × 5 mm. Panicle raceme-like, ± 5 cm. long.

D. featonianum Col. in T.N.Z.I. 22, 1890, 477, based on specimens from " Whangaparaoa (Cape Runaway) a little north of the East Cape: 1889; per Mrs. E. H. Featon", is said to have [I have not seen specimens] lvs "11/2 in. long (21/4 in. at base of panicle), 2-21/2 lines wide at base . . . Floral bracts, at the base of each branch . . . of the panicle orbicular, 1/2 in. long . . . within the bract at the base of each pedicel, are very narrow curved subulate and setaceous bracteoles 1-2 lines long".

D. imbricatum Col. in T.N.Z.I. 25, 1893, 331, based on specimens from "Open lands near Cape Runaway, east coast . . . 1892, Mr. H. Hill" is said to have "Leaves numerous, close, erect and squarrosely spreading, linear, 4 in.-5 in. long, 4 lines wide . . . Flowers terminal in a narrow contracted erect raceme-like panicle, 2 in.-21/2 in. long . . . each branchlet with a long linear bract . . . Corolla 4 lines long, narrow campanulate, reddish-orange". A specimen in W has a Colenso label "Dracophyllum new species, Mr. H. Hill, from Bay of Plenty". There is a loose label, not by Colenso, reading "Cape Runaway, H. Hill. Type of D. imbricatum Col." The lvs have sheaths ± 10 × 7 mm., rather abruptly widened into laminae ± 8 cm. long, tapering from base c. 10 mm. wide to stiff subacute apex. The Colenso specimen at K has close-set erect lvs; laminae ± 11 × 1 cm. on sheaths c. 1·5 cm. long.