Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Mountains near Westport". Type: A, 7004.2, W. Townson.

Sprawling to prostrate; branches stout, us. rather close-set; branchlets with dark reddish brown bark. Lvs crowded towards tips of branchlets. Sheath 5-7 × 4-5 mm., slightly shouldered or gradually narrowed to lamina (25)-35-50-(60) × (3)-4-8 mm. Lamina concavo-convex, erect to patent, coriac., glaucous, amply pubescent when young, becoming almost glab.; apex acute to acuminate, pungent. Infl. of 3-5-fld racemes or spikes, or the fls occ. solitary, terminal on lateral branchlets. Bracts lflike, ovate, acuminate, ciliolate. Sepals ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, ± = corolla-tube 5-6 mm. long. Corolla-lobes white, triangular, acute. Capsule obovoid.

DIST.: S. Higher montane to subalpine shrubland, grassland, rocky places from lat. 41º to a little south of 42º 30'.

Oliver (loc. cit. 1929, 692) describes the young plant thus: "the first leaves are acicular, 4-5 mm. long, and about .5 mm. wide. These persist on lateral branches near the base. The next leaves are broad, like the mature leaves but smaller, blade 22 × 2.5 mm. From this position the leaves increase in size up the stem until they become larger than the mature leaves."