338 COMPOSITE. [Helichrysum. 
1-nerved, upper surface slightly cottony or glabrous, beneath clothed 
with cottony appressed tomentum. Heads solitary, tin. diam. or 
more, on bracteate cottony peduncles 1—5in. long terminating the 
branches ; involucral bracts in many series, linear-ligulate, }-2 in. 
long, with scarious tomentose claws and long white radiating tips. 
Receptacle convex or almost conical. Florets very numerous; 
females few, in 1 or 2 series. Achene glabrous, with a thickened 
areole at the base. Pappus-hairs few, slender.—A. Cunn. Precur. 
n. 449; Raoul, Choix, 45; Kirk, Students’ Fl. 308. Gnaphalium 
bellidioides, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. 1.1387; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 152. 
Xeranthemum bellidioides, Forst. Prodr. n. 293; A. Rich. FI. 
Nouv. Zel. 242. 
Var. prostratum, Kirk, Students’ Fl. 309.—Similar to the type, but heads 
sessile at the tips of the branches.—H. prostratum, Hook. f. Wl. Antarct. i. 
30, t. 21. Gnaphalium prostratum, Hook f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 137; Handb. N.Z. 
Fl. 152. 
NortH anp SoutH IsnuANDs, CHATHAM ISLANDS, STEWART IsLAND, AUCK- 
LAND AND CAMPBELL ISLANDS, ANTIPODES ISLAND: Abundant in mountain 
districts from the East Cape and Taupo southwards. Sea-level to 5000 ft. 
November—February. Var: prostratuwm: Sparingly found in both North and 
South Islands, more abundant in the Auckland and Campbell Islands. 
A common plant. I quite agree with Mr. Kirk in considering H. prostratum 
to be a variety only, and there is no difficulty in collecting passage-forms from 
no peduncles to very long bracteate ones. ButIdo not find the conical recep- 
tacle to be peculiar to var. prostratwm. 
2. H. Purdiei, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 440. 
—Stems slender, wiry, prostrate, spreading, much branched, woody 
at the base, 1-2 ft. long; branches white and tomentose at the tips. 
Leaves distant, spreading, +-4in. long, obovate-spathulate, rounded 
at the tip and minutely apiculate, flat, rather membranous, pubes- 
cent or almost glabrous above, beneath clothed with laxly ap- 
pressed greyish-white tomentum. Heads }in. diam., in corymbs 
of 8 to 6 terminating the branchlets ; peduncles and pedicels short, 
slender, tomentose. Involucral bracts in several series; the outer 
very short, obtuse, brown and scarious; the inner linear-oblong 
with short white radiating tips. Florets very numerous; females 
few, in 1-2 series Achene glabrous, with a thickened areole at the 
base. Pappus-hairs few, slender, barbellate above.—Kirk, Students’ 
Fl, 309. 
Sour Isnanp: Otago—Dunedin Harbour, rare, A. C. Purdie! Petrie! 
Aston ! November—December. 
3. H. filicaule, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 140, t. 368.—Rhizome 
long, wiry, creeping, putting up numerous very slender simple or 
rarely branched erect cottony stems 3-10in. high. Leaves distant, 
1-1in. long, obovate-oblong or narrow-oblong, obtuse or apiculate, 
glabrous or slightly cottony above, beneath clothed with white 
cottony tomentum. Heads solitary, terminal on long filiform 
