Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Hector Mountains, Otago, 1500 m. Type: D. Petrie, "in herb. Schinz (Turicensi)."

Main stems rather slender, procumbent, often rooting; branches ascending to spreading, sparsely hairy or almost glab., up to 5 cm. long. Lvs 2.5-5 cm. long, 7-11-foliolate; upper three lflts much larger than rest, glaucescent on both sides. Stipules lfy, deeply 3-5-fid, teeth linear-lanceolate, up to 4 mm. long, penicillate. Upper lflts c. 6-8 mm. long, orbicular to broad-ovate, serrate-dentate, glab. or nearly so above, with appressed silky hairs below; teeth penicillate, often tinged reddish brown. Terminal lflts up to 1 × 1 cm., on petiolules 3-5 mm. long. Scapes slender, c. 8 cm. long, with or without one or more pairs of bracts, sparsely to rather densely pilose. Heads c. 1-2 cm. diam. including spines; bractlets linear, ciliate-pilose. Cupules c. 1·5 mm. long, clad in long hairs; spines 3-5 mm. long, brown, us. suffused with pale red; barbs slender. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, pilose below, green, often red-flushed. Stamens 2, anthers purple. Stigma plumose.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine grassland in wettish places and in light shade of shrubs.

Bitter distinguishes var. longibracteata with long bractlets forming an involucre (based on specimens "ex herb. D. Petrie in herb. Schinz, Turicensi"), and var. brevibracteata with very short bractlets and ± pilose spines (based on garden plants of uncertain provenance).