Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Upton Downs, Upper Awatere. Type: K, Monro Christmas 1853, 1500 ft.

Tufted herb up to c. 20 cm. tall (shade forms may be distinctly larger) with simple to branched stock, pseudo-stem up to c. 15 cm., us. shorter. Lamina c. (7)-10-(15) cm. × (5)-10-(15)-(20) mm., lanceolate-elliptic to elliptic-oblong, coriac., us. rather stiff to almost rigid; upper surface ± sulcate, clad in silvery pellicle; lower densely clad in white silvery shining appressed tomentum, midrib us. prominent; apex sub-acute, margins slightly recurved, entire or nearly so, narrowed to petiole c. 2-3 cm. long. Sheath up to 10 cm. long, ± densely clad on outer surface and margins in white floccose deciduous tomentum. Scape up to ± 20 cm. long, rather stout, densely floccose; bracts ∞, lower up to c. 30 mm. long, clad in white subfloccose hairs. Capitula 25-30-(40) mm. diam.; phyll. ∞, linear, up to 25 mm. long, or linear-subulate, outer surface clad in floccose hairs, inner glab. except towards apex. Ray-florets ∞, c. 20 mm. long; tube slender, cylindric, limb narrowly obovate-oblong. Disk-florets narrow-funnelform, 6-9 mm. long, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes glab., or with a very few short hairs on ribs, narrow compressed-cylindric, c. 5-6 mm. long. Pappus-hairs up to 8 mm. long, slender, white, very finely barbellate.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine grassland and rocky places from c. lat. 42° to 43° but exact distribution uncertain.