Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Moorhouse Range, Hooker Valley, Mt. Cook. Type: W, 2581, 5800 ft., P. Graham, 25·2·1912.

Rosettes single or multiple, lvs broadly obovate-spathulate, 2-4 × 0.7-1·5 cm., tip rounded and mucronate, petiole shorter than lamina, ill-defined; hairs ∞, long, tapering, ± appressed, on undersurface shorter, sparser and retrorse except near If-tip. Lateral branches few, ascending, up to c. 10 cm. long, internodes < lvs. Upper stem-lvs narrow-elliptic and sessile, 1-2 × 0·3-1 cm., tip broadly acuminate; hairs long, silky, ∞, ± appressed, fewer and more slender on undersurface. Cymes ebracteate, to 2 cm. long, simple or once branched, terminal on primary laterals; internodes and pedicels short. Calyx 5-7-(8) mm. long, lobes us. > 1/2 length, obtuse, medium width; hairs of several lengths, rather crowded, appressed and fringing above, shorter, spreading and ± retrorse below, occ. weakly hooked. Corolla white, 5-7 mm. diam., tube 4-6 mm. long, slightly flaring above, lobes flat, rounded, c. 1·5-2.5 × 1·5-2.5 mm.; filaments very short, fixed immediately below scales, anthers c. 1·5 mm. long, tips projecting above rather large scales; style > calyx, stigma capitate. Nutlets not seen.

DIST.: S. Mt. Moltke, Westland, W. R. B. Oliver; Rangitata to Mt. Cook region; Hopkins Valley, 1. Mead; Fowler Pass, G. Simpson. Rocky places, 1000-2000 m. altitude or even higher.

FL. 12-2.

The original description of M. suavis does not provide any good qualitative characters to differentiate it from M. explanata. Plants of the latter sp. are tall, slender, and large-fld, in contrast to the compact more hairy little plants of M. suavis from more rigorous habitats. Fls are recorded as "sweetly scented".