Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Hector's Col, Mount Aspiring Range, 5000 ft. Type: K, J. Buchanan. On type sheet is written "A. montana Armstrong fide Kirk".

Small tufted plant up to c. 25 cm. tall including infl. Lf-sheaths 3-5 cm. × 8-10 mm., thin; stipules lflike, rather rigid, 5-6 cm. × 5 mm., oblong, abruptly narrowed to acicular apex; petioles stiff, flat, coriac., up to 1 cm. long. Pinnae 1 pair, approximate to terminal lflt. 3·5-6·5 cm. × 3-4 mm., rigid, margins finely crenulate-serrulate, abruptly narrowed to pungent apex. Stems of male plants 2-3 dm. long including dense to open infl. ± 8-15 cm. long. Bract-sheaths up to c. 15 mm. long; stipules very narrow, spreading, pungent, c. 1 cm. long; lamina up to 2 cm. long. Umbels ± 10 mm. diam., on very slender rays; umbellules very small, on filiform rays. Stems of female plants grooved, up to 3 dm. long including dense infl up to c. 15 cm. long. Bract-sheaths c. 10 × 5 mm., submembr.; stipules up to 2 cm. long; lamina ± 3 cm. long. Umbels ± enclosed in sheaths, on short rays; umbellules small, close-set, on very short rays. Fr. ± 4 mm. long; mericarps 3-5-winged.

Dist.: S. Higher montane to subalpine central and western Otago, east of divide.

Oliver (T.R.S.N.Z. 84, 1956, 5 ) remarks: "The description and figure fit very well the plant afterwards described as A. poppelwelli." A. poppelwellii Petrie in T.N.Z.I. 53, 1921, 369 was described as: "Planta A. Traillii T. Kirk subsimilis, differt inflorescentia principali recta (haud flexuosa), bracteis floralibus pernumerosis (nonnunquam 40 v. ultra) arctissime confertis trifoliolatis, umbellis quam bracteae multo brevioribus vaginas subtumidas vix excedentibus, fructibus paullo majoribus oblongis, apicem versus ± contractis . . . (A. Traillii Kirk, Students' Flora, p. 210, pro parte; also A. Traillii Kirk, Cheeseman's Manual, pp. 211-12, pro parte.)" Petrie selected as the type "The Garvie Mountain plant". He lists from there specimens collected by D. L. Poppelwell and by L. Cockayne. Specimens in herbaria named A. poppelwellii are rather diverse, and the complex needs restudy. Petrie (loc. cit. 370) describes a var. major: "Elatior, scapo nudo quam in typo ter quaterve longiore, inflorescentia principali scapo nudo multo breviore, bracteis umbellisque paucioribus, bractearum vaginis brevioribus paene aeque latis ac longis. Hab.― Mount Buster (part of Mount Ida Range, Maniototo County),

3500 ft".