Flora of New Zealand Series

C. longifolia var. graminifolia Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 289.

Type locality: Bay of Islands. Type: K, J. D. Hooker.

Slender tufted herb arising from rather stout simple or branched stock. Lamina thin, membr., sts almost flaccid, of diverse sizes and shapes (a single plant often bearing two or more forms), 5-15-20-(40) cm. × 4-5-(10) mm.; upper surface glab. when mature or carrying remains of thin pellicle, midrib and sts a pair of lateral nerves evident; lower clad in dense felt of soft white hairs or indumentum almost satiny; ± linear-lanceolate in the larger forms to ovate-lanceolate in some of the smaller, tapering to an acute apiculate apex; margins flat to very slightly recurved, entire or almost so, tapering gradually to petiole up to c. 2 cm. × 1 mm., then abruptly expanded into a very thin sheath ± 2-4 cm. × 5-7 mm., midnerve and lateral veins evident. Scape very slender, ± 10-20 cm. long, ribbed, rather densely clad in persistent appressed white tomentum; bracts us. few, very narrow-linear, with lamina up to c. 2 cm. long. Capitula ± 20-25-30 mm. diam.; phyll. almost scarious, up to c. 10 mm. long, linear-subulate, us. purplish on margins and in upper half, pale in lower half, ± ciliolate on margins and at apex. Ray-florets up to c. 15 mm. long; tube very slender, limb linear, midvein us. rather faint. Disk-florets c. 6 mm. long, narrow-funnelform, often pale yellow, teeth triangular. Achenes ± 4 mm. long, cylindric, glab., us. strongly ribbed. Pappus-hairs up to c. 6 mm. long, very slender, very finely barbellate.

DIST.: N., S., St. Lowland to lower subalpine grassland, open shrubland, herbfield, boggy ground (occ. in rocky places and fellfield) from Bay of Islands southwards.

A very polymorphic group badly needing experimental treatment. The limits between this sp. and C. gracilenta are hard to draw and hybrids appear to be not infrequent. I have been able in garden-grown plants to cause the recurved lvs of C. gracilenta from tussock-grassland to flatten out, but have not succeeded in attempts to cause the lvs of C. graminifolia to recurve more than is us. in wild plants.

The type specimen at K is a robust tuft with many lvs; lamina ± 10-12 cm. × 5-6 mm., linear, on petiole c. 2 cm. long, sheath ± 3 cm. long; apex acute, apiculate. Scape slender, c. 10 cm. long, clad in appressed soft white hairs. Capitula c. 15 mm. diam. (immature?). Forms similar to the type occur throughout North Id and at least northern part of South Id.

Motley populations of small plants, with scapes seldom > 7 cm. long occur in the pakihis of N.W. Nelson and the west coast of the South Id. A few plants from a population in peaty ground near Collingwood retained their individual characters for 4 years when grown in rather heavy soil under light shade. The following details indicate the range of diversity: Plant A―lamina dark green above, ± mottled with brown flecks, with felted white tomentum below; ± 20 × 6 mm., mostly of elliptic-oblong order. Plant B―lamina bright green above, tomentum clear white, almost satiny below; ± 25 × 10 mm., mostly of ovate-lanceolate order. Plant C―lamina dullish green above, tomentum of lower surface rather thick, felted, dull white; ± 30 × 4 mm., mostly of linear order. Plant D―colour as in B, lamina ± 35 × 9 mm., mostly of elliptic-oblong order. Plant E―colour as in B, lamina ± 65 × 4 mm., all of linear order. Plant F―colour as in B, but with whitish flecks above; lamina up to 75 × 2 mm., very narrow-linear to oblanceolate. All had very slender to almost filiform scapes; capitula etc. as in plants of typical form, achenes strongly grooved.

Colenso's description (T.N.Z.I. 22, 1890, 470) of his C. perpusilla reads: "A very small plant, sub-erect and slightly tufted; root-stock stoutish, straight, 11/2 in. long, with many long wiry rootlets at the extremity. Leaves. 8-14, linear-lanceolate, sub 1 in. long, 11/2 lines wide, margins entire, tip obtuse, pale-green, glabrous above, very cottony closely appressed and shining below, concave, conduplicate. Scape short as long as leaves, single, erect, leafy, with a few small bracts, very woolly. Head small, 4 lines diameter, spreading. Outer involucral scales 5, broadly oblong, woolly in the centre; the inner 7, linear, glabrous, larger than outer, green and shining below, their tips obtuse, notched, with 1 circular brown spot, margins white, hyaline; florets about 14, very slender, almost setaceous, a little shorter than pappus. Receptacle narrow, ridgy. Pappus few, about 20, scabrid throughout, tips acute. Achene linear-lanceolate, dark-brown, scabrid. Hab. Swampy spots near Rangipo, eastern base of Mount Tongariro . . . 1889: Mr. H. Hill." Specimens not seen by me. Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 289) places the name as a synonym of Hooker's C. graminifolia. Cheeseman does not refer to it.