Flora of New Zealand Series

Tufted perennial; rhizome stout. Stems erect, villous or rarely glabrous, up to 25 cm tall. Lvs simple, often coriaceous, sometimes submembranous, crenate or toothed, hairy, rarely one or both surfaces glabrous, variable in shape from oblong-cuneate to ovate to orbicular-cordate, 3-15 × 1-20 cm. Fls (1)-2-10-(20) per stem, 2-3-(5) cm diam.; pedicels hairy or glabrous. Sepals spreading, glabrous or with silky hairs. Petals 5-7-(16), yellow, narrowly to broadly cuneate-obovate; nectary single (rarely 2-3), 1-2 mm from petal base, naked. Receptacle glabrous or hairy. Achenes numerous, not flattened, hairy or glabrous; body 1-3 mm long; beak straight or curved, 1-3 mm long.

N.: mountains of Tongariro National Park and main ranges from Hikurangi to Tararua Range; S.: Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury (S. to Mt Peel and the Four Peaks Range), Westland (catchment of the Hokitika R.).

Endemic.

Rock debris, tussock grassland, scrub, cliffs, (0)-1050-1500-(2150) m.

Fisher (1965, op. cit.) gives details of variation, a fuller description, illustrations, and details of synonymy. R. lobulatus and R. monroi are included as synonyms of R. insignis.