Flora of New Zealand Series

Stoloniferous perennial; prostrate stems 1-1.5 mm diam., < 30 cm long; erect stems 1-1.5 mm diam., < 10 cm long. Lvs 1.5-3.5-(9) cm long; stipules usually 3-5-fid, occasionally entire, red; leaflets 7-13, suboblong to suborbicular, 4-10-(20) × 2.5-7-(10), 5-11-toothed to base, green, subglaucous or ashy grey and sparsely to densely hairy on upper surface, glaucous and pilose on lower surface; basal leaflets often red; teeth deeply incised, penicillate, red. Scape (2)-8-12 cm long, pilose; capitulum 6-9 mm diam. at flowering, 10-15 mm diam. (including spines) at fruiting; florets c. 40-50; sepals 4; stamens 2; anthers red; style 1, rose; achene 1. Fr. obconic, c. 3 × 1.5 mm, densely hairy; spines 4, pale brown, c. 5 mm long, barbed.

N.; S.

Endemic.

Subalpine and alpine grassland and shrubland, 900-1900 m.

FL Dec-Feb FT Feb-Mar.

Densely hairy, glaucous-leaved plants with red anthers included here in A. profundeincisa were keyed by Allan (1961) to A. hirsutula Bitter, but the type of A. hirsutula is a particularly hairy form of A. saccaticupula.