Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Brown Cow Track on way to Boulder Lake. Type: CHR 146988I. M. Morice 1964.

Colonies consisting of stout tufts, resembling small Phormium plants in habit and texture. Stem 1.5–2.5 cm. diam. Lvs 35–150 × 2.5–4 cm., firm and coriac., only slightly constricted above sheath, keeled, and ± revolute on margins; sheath to 8 cm. wide at base, thickly covered on both surfaces with long silvery scales; lamina long-acuminate, adaxially light bluish green turning reddish brown in old age, glab. when old but in youth ± covered with erect, easily detached scales; abaxial surface at first white with slightly shaggy scales, later green and glab., finely ribbed with subequal nerves, 25–30 on each side of midrib. Infl. elongate, thickly covered with spreading, white, caducous scales; spathes long; racemes 5–10, simple, cylindric and standing ± erect, the neatly arranged fls almost hiding the axes; female racemes c. 4 × 1.5 cm., male longer. Fls greenish fawn; tepals c. 4–5 × 3–4 mm., strongly recurved in both sexes. Ovary 3-locular, broad. Fr. globose or broadest above middle, 10–14 × 5.5–8 mm., yellow to orange, seated in deep cup formed by partly thickened per.

DIST.: S. Mountains of west Nelson from Mt Arthur to the Paparoa Range.

In snow-tussock grasslands and on rocky bluffs.

FL 12–1; FT. 3–5.