Flora of New Zealand Series

Sprawling subshrub forming loose clumps up to c. 4 dm. diam.; stems and branches stout, woody, clad in lf-remains for long time; branchlets rather stout, clad in imbricate, suberect, finally ± reflexed lvs. Lamina coriac., 10-15-(20) × 6-9 mm., oblong to obovate-oblong; upper surface viscid, at first clad in thin pellicle, or pellicle long enduring; lower surface clad in subappressed soft white or almost satiny tomentum, midrib evident or obscured; apex obtuse, margins remotely and minutely toothed to subentire, very slightly recurved; base abruptly narrowed to sheath or very short petiole. Sheath very thin, glab., ± translucent, up to 10 mm. long, closely appressed to branchlet. Scape slender, viscid, ± 4-8 cm. long, erect; bracts few, lamina linear, up to c. 10 mm. long. Capitula 2-3 cm. diam.; phyll. narrow-linear to narrow linear-spathulate, c. 8 mm. long, ± densely clad in floccose hairs on margins and towards apex, midrib evident. Ray-florets narrow-spathulate to linear, tube ± glandular, limb-apex 3-4-toothed, margins recurved when dry. Disk-florets 5-6 mm. long, narrowly funnelform, teeth triangular. Achenes 2-3 mm. long, compressed-cylindric, ribs rather densely clad in short ascending hairs. Pappus-hairs slender, white to sordid-white, up to c. 5 mm. long, very finely barbellate.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine grassland, rocky places, fellfield. Neither type locality nor type are indicated, but Central Otago plants included by Cheeseman are fairly uniform, with lvs ± 12-18 × 7 mm.