Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Sand-hollows near Foxton. Type: None found.

Lfy fans crowded or emerging at intervals from far-spreading horizontal rhizomes c. 3–4 mm. diam. Lvs 15–70 cm. × 5–15 mm., the two surfaces similar; often ± copper-coloured where exposed to full sun; nerves ∞, the median ones us. crowded and thickened, sts, like lf-margin, more brightly coloured than other parts of lamina. Peduncles short, us. not carrying fls or frs above lvs. Panicle narrow, much but us. closely branched; upper bracts often brown. Pedicels stout, mostly c. 1.5–3 cm. long. In fl.-bud per. sts brownish, c. = ovary. Fls c. 2 cm. diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer us. more than half length of inner, narrower but relatively broad and obtuse at tip; inner ± orbicular, shortly unguiculate, us. leaving most of outer tepals visible. Staminal filaments very shortly connate; anthers c. 3–3.5 mm. long, dark orange-brown. Ovary green, smoothly rounded, us. tapered to pedicel; style-branches very narrowly winged. Capsule us. < 1 cm. diam., ± pyriform, turning brown or sts yellow when immature, then black, and us. remaining undehisced until next season's fls are produced. Seed c. 1.2 mm. diam., subglobose, reticulate-patterned, light brownish. n = 57.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch.

Locally abundant in sandy, peaty and pumice soils, sea level to c. 1,000 m. alt., but not surely known north of c. lat. 39º, or in Marlborough, Canterbury, or Fiordland.

FL. 10–1. FT. 1–12.