Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Mount Arthur Plateau. Type: BD 19119, J. Scott Thomson, Nov. 1937.

Very stout tussocks up to c. 1 m. tall. Lvs subflabellately pinnate, 2-4 pairs, up to ± 4 dm. long. Sheaths thick, coriac., ± 7 × 3 cm., tapering to c. 2 cm. Stipules rigid, ± 15 × 4 mm., tapering to rigid pungent tips. Petioles slightly concavo-convex, striate, ± 10-15 cm. × ± 15 mm., tapering to c. 10 mm.; margins cartilaginous, smooth. Lowest internodes up to c. 3 cm. long. Primary pinnae straight or nearly so, erect, lowest ± 15 cm. × 10-15 mm., with base ± 7 mm. wide, expanding to greatest width at ± middle, then tapering to pungent point; midrib us. rather obscure, margins serrulate-crenulate. Stems very stout, grooved; male plants with infl. c. 75 cm. long; bracts verticillate, lower whorl empty, ± 15 cm. distant from next whorl. Sheath submembr., ribbed, ± 9 cm. × 10 mm., gradually tapering to ± 6 mm. Stipules unequal, stiff, up to ± 7 cm. × 2 mm., pungent; central lflt up to c. 20 cm. × 4 mm. Upper bracts rigid; sheaths very coriac., ± 3 cm. × 5 mm.; stipules us. absent; lflt rigid, ± 5 cm. × 3 mm., midrib evident. Umbels ∞, on stout striate peduncles up to ± 8-10 cm. × 2-3 mm., bearing at intervals small umbels; main umbels on stiff rays up to c. 3 cm. long, with narrow lanceolate involucral bracts ± 5 mm. long. Umbellules on spreading rays up to 1 cm. long, ± 5 mm. diam. Fr. c. 4 mm. long.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine, Nelson and Marlborough, apparently frequent.

Oliver (loc cit, 3) gives this and the next sp. as having the pinnae 20-30 mm. wide. I have not seen, even in the type material, pinnae > 17 mm. wide.