Flora of New Zealand Series

yellow statice

Much-branched annual with stems to c. 50 cm tall; stem wings 3-4, 1-2 mm wide towards base, ciliate. Rosette lvs to c. 20 × 4 cm, lyrate-pinnatifid; terminal lobe largest, rounded; sinuses and lateral lobes rounded or obtuse; margins and midrib long-ciliate. Stem lvs usually 3 per node, 1.5-4 cm long, linear, ± entire; margins long-ciliate, sometimes sparingly. Scale reddish and strongly ciliate. Infl. secund, dense; wing of spikelet 1-2.5 cm × 4-8 mm, rigid, oblanceolate or elliptic, ciliate, 3-lobed with apices spiny. Inner bract sheathing, with 3 apical spines. Calyx 8-12 mm long; tube slightly < limb, hispidulous; limb yellow, scarious, campanulate with erose margin. Corolla > calyx; claw long; limb pale yellow with broad obovate 2-fid lobes.

S.: collected wild twice, on the bed of the Taylor R. at Blenheim, apparently a small population.

W. Mediterranean 1981

FL Nov-Jun.

Like other garden statice, L. bonduellii is grown, often with L. sinuatum, for its "everlasting" fls which are dried for winter decoration. The scarious calyx persists, but the corolla often shrivels quickly. L. bonduellii has previously been known in N.Z. as Statice bonduellii.