Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Waihopai Valley. Type: BD 76121, W. Martin.

Tufted herb with pseudo-stem ± 6 cm. long. Lvs rather rigid, thick, coriac.; lamina linear to linear-oblong, tapering regularly from base to acute or subacute stiff apex, ± 10-15-(30) cm. × (3)-4-5-(8) mm.; upper surface showing dark green when fresh, white-silvery when dry, owing to conspicuous transversely wrinkled ± sulcate pellicle; lower clad in dense white appressed satiny tomentum, midrib prominent, rounded or keeled, veins manifest; margins entire, not or slightly recurved, or rarely much-recurved; base widened to thinly coriac., ± floccose, strongly nerved sheath ± 6 cm. × 5 mm., nerves ∞. Scape flattened, at least in lower half, ± 15-30 cm. long, rather stout, clad in subappressed to floccose white hairs. Bracts ∞, lower laminae up to ± 4 cm. long, linear-subulate, tomentum white, appressed. Capitula ± 4 cm. diam. Phyll. ∞, midrib evident; outer ovate, acuminate, up to 15 × 3 mm.; inner scarious towards apex, floccose on margins and base. Ray-florets ∞, ± 16 mm. long, tube slender, limb ± oblanceolate, teeth 2-4, conspicuous. Disk-florets c. 7 mm. long, narrow-funnelform, teeth oblong-triangular. Achenes ± 3 mm. long, compressed-cylindric, ribbed, densely clad in short ascending silky hairs. Pappus-hairs white to sordid-white, very slender, up to c. 6 mm. long, hardly barbellate.

DIST.: S. "Between the Wairau River and the Awatere River from the Ned to the Leatham River". Also extends to Clarke River, Westland.

Martin (loc. cit. 180) remarks: "This very distinct species has not previously been collected. It is closely allied to C. monroi, of which it might be regarded as an exceptionally narrow-leaved variety." Vegetatively it closely resembles C. adamsii.

Simpson and Thomson (T.R.S.N.Z. 73, 1943, 169) distinguish their var. dura by: "Leaves shorter, ± 15 cm. long, broader, ± 7 mm., suddenly reduced to an apiculate tip, bronze and the veins evident, rigid, more deeply channelled than those of the species, the margins not recurved. Habitat: Low grassland. Type specimen from Lake Man, above Amuri Pass, head of the Doubtful River, Hanmer." The type specimen (BD 72736) has laminae up to c. 14 cm. long, gradually tapering from base c. 7 mm. wide to acute apiculate apex, texture rather more rigid, the margins now strongly recurved. Capitula 3-4 cm. diam. Phyll. linear-subulate, to 14 mm. long, ciliate on margins and at apex, midrib evident. Florets not seen. Achenes ∞, very narrow compressed-cylindric, ribbed, c. 4 mm. long, very densely clad in short white silky appressed to ascending hairs. Pappus-hairs now rufous, up to 6 mm. long, slender, hardly barbellate. I know this only from the type specimen. The status needs further study.