Flora of New Zealand Series

white-top

Erect annual herb. Stems ridged, sparsely to densely hairy, especially below, usually branched only above to form infl., sometimes branched from base, not rooting, 20-100-(150) cm tall. Lvs all cauline at flowering; lower cauline lvs elliptic to ovate-elliptic, apetiolate and cuneate, cuspidate, serrate, sparsely to moderately hairy, ciliate, 30-80 × 7-20 mm; uppermost lvs smaller, narrow-elliptic, sometimes obtuse at base, entire. Capitula c. 15-20 mm diam., 3-numerous in corymbs or panicles. Involucral bracts lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, sparsely hairy, 3.5-5 mm long. Ligules linear, pale blue or white, 3.5-7 mm long. Disc yellow. Achenes sparsely hairy, c. 0.8 mm long; pappus of disc florets of 1 row of long hairs and an outer row of short scales; pappus of ray florets of short scales only.

N.: collected once from Mangonui (N. Auckland) and Waikawa Stream (Wellington); S.: collected once from Top Valley (Marlborough) and Golden Downs (Nelson), established locally between Hokitika and Ross (Westland).

N. America 1919

Waste places, pasture, and amongst fern.

FL Jan-Apr.

E. annuus is a very variable apomictic sp. with several subspp. described for Europe. N.Z. material apparently usually has the spreading stem hairs and pale blue ligules which characterise the type subsp. The sp. has been previously recorded in N.Z. as E. strigosa.