Flora of New Zealand Series

Psychrophyton bryoides Beauverd loc. cit. 1910, 234.

Type locality: Summit of Gordon's Knob, Nelson. Type: K, Monro 175.

Stock stout, woody; branches densely compacted, woody at base, forming hard rounded cushions up to c. 20 cm. diam. Lvs densely imbricate, c. 3 × 1 mm., obovate-oblong to rhomboid-spathulate, narrowed to apex; basal portion membr., glab., 1-nerved, apical portion subcoriac., clad on both surfaces with appressed silky hairs, with lateral tufts of floccose tangled hairs below. Capitula 5-7 mm. diam., inner phyll. 5 mm. long, narrow-oblong, acute to acuminate, margins scarious, tips white, radiate. Florets 7-15, ♀ fewer than perfect and sterile. Achenes < 1mm. long, densely clad in long silky hairs. Pappus-hairs c. 3·5 mm. long, rigid.

DIST.: S. Subalpine to alpine rocks and fellfield from lat. 41° to 45° 30'.

Non-flowering forms with subpatent, more acute lvs, possibly semi-juveniles, are occ. met with. The lvs occ. appear 3-nerved owing to lateral pleats.