Flora of New Zealand Series

G. simplex A. Rich. Essai Fl. N.Z. 1832, 237?

Perennial herb with creeping rhizomes or stolons bearing tufts of lvs at nodes, tufts us. close together. Stems scapiform, slender, up to 15 cm. or more long, bracts foliaceous below, rapidly reduced above. Lower lvs obovate-spathulate, petiolate, apiculate, up to 4 cm. or more long, softly woolly-hairy above (becoming glab. or nearly so), densely softly white-tomentose below, margins slightly revolute, undulate to plane. Stems slender, tomentose, with rather distant lvs, the upper sessile, the uppermost reduced to bracts. Infl. of a single terminal glomerule, or with 1-3 axillary small glomerules also. Subtending bracts seldom up to 2 cm. long. Glomerules c. 1∙5 cm. diam., with 10-20 capitula floccose-hairy at base. Capitula 3-4 mm. diam.; receptacle 1-2 mm. diam., convex; phyll. c. 5 mm. long, broadly oblong, obtuse to subacute, scarious, translucent, light brown. Achenes c. 0∙5-0∙75 mm. long, linear, not compressed. papillose and with scattered appressed white hairs. Pappus c. 3-4 mm. long, with c. 20 filiform sordid-white hairs.

DIST.: K., Three Kings, N., S., St., Ch. Lowland to montane grassland and open places.

HYBRIDISM AND EPHARMONY

The detailed analysis of our spp. of Gnaphalium requires cultural and genetic study, owing to the apparent prevalence of hybridism, the presence of naturalized forms and spp., and the ready response of several to habitat conditions. Hybridism certainly occurs in the group with pseudo-rays, forming a polymorphic series by way of G. hookeri × trinerve, G. Keriense × trinerve, and G. keriense × subrigidum. G. hookeri forms apparently sterile hybrids with Helichrysum bellidioides. G. luteo-album crosses with the naturalized G. purpureum. Intermediate forms between G. traversii and its var. mackayi have been reported as hybrids, but the field evidence suggests that the differences may be due to habitat conditions. Plants of mackayi form rapidly produced luxuriant growth in my garden.

FL. 11-4. FT. 1-6. Also in Australia and Tasmania.

Var. obscurum Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 300. Stolons short, lf-tufts aggregated. Lvs 1-2 cm. long; scape not > 2∙5 cm. long, capitula 2-4 or solitary; phyll. linear, obtuse. Type locality: Broken River Basin. Type not found in W.

Var. monocephalum Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. 2, 1860, 364. Lvs all radical, linear, obtuse or acute, c. 8 mm. long. Capitulum solitary, sessile or on filiform scape up to 2∙5 cm. long. Type locality: Tasmania. Type:? Recorded by Kirk (loc. cit.) from Broken River Basin.