Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Longwood Range near summit, but not common". Type: W, 3290, H. Reichel.

Large tufted herb; lf-sheaths densely imbricate around stem. Lamina sulcate, rigid, coriac., acute, ± 25-30 × (2)-2.5-4 cm., oblong- to narrow-lanceolate; upper surface with very thin us. loose pellicle, midrib stout, yellowish to orange, 3-5 mm. wide near base, prominent; lower surface densely clad in appressed satiny white tomentum; margins entire, recurved, subobliquely tapering to short broad petiole or directly into coriac., ribbed, pale sheath c. 15 × 2-3 cm., clad without in floccose white hairs. Scape ± compressed, stout, c. 30-35 cm. long, clad in white. floccose tomentum; bracts ∞, lower lflike, ± appressed to scape c. 10 × 1 cm. including sheath. Capitula (3)-4-6-(7) cm. diam.; phyll. linear-subulate, acuminate, scarious, ± fleshy at base, c. 2-2.5 cm. long, clad in ± floccose hairs. Ray-florets ∞, ± 15 mm. long, limb very narrow; disk-florets narrowly tubular-funnelform, c. 7 mm. long, teeth minute. Achenes c. 4 mm. long, narrow-cylindric, ribs with minute stiff ascending hairs. Pappus-hairs white, up to 8 mm. long, finely barbellate.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine grassland, herbfield, light shrubland from c. lat. 42° southwards, mainly along and west of divide.

Cockayne (loc. cit. 52) has "Celmisia lanceolata is intermediate in character between C. coriacea Hook. f. and C. Armstrongii Petrie." Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 951) considered that "It will probably prove to be a hybrid between C. coriacea and C. Armstrongii." I have found no evidence for this in the field.