Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Clarence Valley, near coast. Type: W, 4705, H. J. Matthews, Oct. 1905.

Glab. perennial herb up to c. 3 dm. tall; taproot rather fleshy, up to c. 5 mm. diam., whitish, deeply descending; stock stout, us. multicipital, emitting ∞ ascending branches 2-3 mm. diam. (lower parts often buried in debris, whitish; aerial parts us. purplish). Lvs ∞, close-set, subsessile. Lamina coriac., linear, erect to patent, finally reflexed; margins often white, ± recurved, entire to obscurely toothed, midrib prominent below; 2-5 cm. × 2-3·5 mm.; apex obtuse to apiculate (rarely retuse). Peduncle simple or with several branches, up to ± 15 cm. long, bracted; bracts linear, 15-4 mm. long. Fls 2-3 cm. diam. Calyx-lobes ± 5 mm. long, linear to narrowly ovate, acute. Corolla-tube ± 8 mm. long; lobes ± 10 mm. long, narrow-ovate, ± apiculate, pale lilac to whitish. Style = corolla-tube; stigma white, 2-3-lobed. Capsule obconic, ± (6)-8-11-(12) mm. long.

DIST.: S. Waima (Ure) to Clarence River on limestone and limestone debris.

FL. 11-3. FT. 1-4.

Simpson (T.R.S.N.Z. 75, 1945, 195) remarks: "In loose or much shattered limestone the plant has many long, branching, whitish, fleshy and brittle underground creeping stems." He gives the capsule as 1-2 cm. × 5 mm.

Specimens of a much smaller plant (BD 84745) were collected on the Chalk Range, Marlborough at c. 900 m. by R. Mason and D. R. McQueen, 24/12/1953, on "rock face, limestone". Plant up to c. 6 cm. tall. Stems woody, ± 3 mm. diam., ascending, much and closely branched. Lvs ∞, subsessile, densely crowded, up to c. 15 mm. long, linear to linear-spathulate. Peduncles ∞, simple, up to c. 4 cm. long; bracts linear. Fls c. 10 mm. long; calyx-lobes c. 4 mm. long, linear-subulate. The status deserves fuller study.