Flora of New Zealand Series

Xeranthemum bellidioides Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 55.

Gnaphalium bellidioides Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 137.

Type locality: Hooker (Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 137) gives "Cook's Straits" for Forster's specimens. Type: P?

Main stems prostrate and rooting, up to c. 6 dm. long and 5 mm. diam. (sts lianoid among shrubs); branches decumbent, with rather open cottony tomentum. Lvs 5-6 × 3-4 mm. (occ. up to 1·5 × 1 cm.), broadly rounded and abruptly mucronate at apex, cuneately narrowed to flattened semiamplexicaul petiole; glab. above when mature, clad in appressed cobwebby tomentum below. Scapes slender, densely woolly-tomentose, up to 10 cm. long, with ∞ narrow-oblanceolate ascending bracts. Capitula c. 2-3 cm. diam.; outer phyll. linear-mucronate, densely softly tomentose on back; inner chartaceous, linear-oblong, 30-50, up to 1 cm. long, white, obtuse, abruptly narrowed to thin stramineous claw, tomentose on back. Receptacle 4-5 mm. diam., shallowly to distinctly convex, alveolate; perfect florets ∞, ♀ few. Achenes compressed, striate, glab. when mature, up to 1mm. long; pappus-hairs subequal, up to 4 mm. long.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch., A., C., Ant. Lowland to montane and lower subalpine grassland, open shrubland, and open places, from lat. 37° 30' southwards.