Flora of New Zealand Series

Eurybia nummularifolia Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 118.

O. hillii Col. in T.N.Z.I. 20, 1888, 194.

Type locality: Mount Tongariro. Type: K, Bidwill.

Shrub up to 3 m. tall; branchlets stout, viscid when young, clad in white to yellowish stellate tomentum. Lvs close-set, very coriac., 5-10 × 4-6 mm. including petiole 1 mm. long, broad-obovate to suborbicular, glab. above when mature, below clad in white to buff or yellowish tomentum, margins ± recurved. Capitula solitary, 3-5 mm. diam., on short closely bracteate peduncles; phyll. in several series, imbricate, forming a narrow involucre c. 1 cm. long, viscid pubescentpilose to glab.; florets 5-12, ray-florets up to 5; achenes compressed, ribbed, 3 mm. long, glab. or nearly so except at tips; pappus-hairs 5-6 mm. long.

DIST.: N., S. Montane to subalpine shrubland from lat. 37° 30' southwards, descending to lowlands in southern part of range.

FL. 11-4. FT. 12-4.

Colenso (loc. cit.) described his O. hillii from specimens collected by H. Hill on "High plains Waimarino, west side of Mount Tongariro . . . 1887". Hill gives the height as "12-18 inches". Colenso's description includes: "Leaves small . . . elliptic, elliptic-orbicular and obovate, 11/2-3 lines long . . . petioles dark-coloured . . . those of obovate leaves tapering, those of elliptic, etc., suddenly formed . . . Pappus reddish-brown, long, spreading, equal, very slender below; tips thickened and much serrulate, somewhat bushy. Achenes long, slender . . ."