Flora of New Zealand Series

Olearia insignis Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 2, 1855, 331.

O. marginata Col. in T.N.Z.I. 15, 1883, 321.

Type locality: banks of Waihopai River. Type: K, Monro.

Stout spreading shrub up to 2 m. tall, us. less. Branches stout, densely tomentose. Lvs in subrosettes towards tips of branchlets, very thick and coriac., entire (occ. retuse to emarginate), glab. above when mature, clad in dense soft white to buff or fulvous tomentum below, us. with line of tomentum along margins above. Petioles stout, up to 5 cm. or more long; lamina 6·5-16 × 3-7·5 cm., oblong to obovate-oblong, or ovate-oblong, obtuse. Peduncles 10-30 cm. × 3-5 mm., densely tomentose, nude or with distal foliaceous bracts often subtending capitula. Capitula subglobose; receptacle 1-2 cm. diam. Phyll. tomentose without, glab. and lustrous within. Ray-florets ∞, as are the disk-florets. Achenes c. 1 cm. long, very narrow-linear, silky-hairy. Pappus-hairs c. 1 cm. long, barbellate, slightly thickened above and the barbels there longer.

DIST.: S. From Wairau River to Waiau River, in rocky places, coastal to montane.

FL. 12-2. FT. 1-5.