CELMISIA TRAVERSII. 
Famity COMPOSIT 4. ] [Genus CELMISIA, Cass. 
PLATE 95. 
Celmisia Traversii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 134; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 306. 
The genus Celmisia contains considerably over forty species, all but one 
being confined to New Zealand. Most of them are plants of considerable 
beauty ; but it is doubtful if any one of them surpasses the subject of this plate, 
which is particularly remarkable for the contrast of colour in its leaves, a 
peculiarity which requires a coloured drawing to represent it in a proper manner. 
The upper surface of the leaf is dark brownish-green; the under-surface and 
margins are clothed with a rich and soft bright ferruginous tomentum; the 
midrib beneath and petiole are purple; while the leaf-sheath is covered with 
lax snow-white tomentum. When to a tuft of leaves like the above are added 
from two to six stout scapes also clothed with ferruginous tomentum, and 
bearing flowers sometimes 2in. in diameter, it may well be imagined that the 
plant is one which would arrest the attention of the most incurious traveller. 
C. Traversii is one of the many plants discovered by Mr. W. T. L. Travers 
in his early explorations of the mountain-flora of Nelson and Canterbury during the 
years between 1858 and 1864, and was first gathered on the “ Discovery Peaks,” 
one of the mountains overlooking the Waiau Valley, in southern Nelson. It 
was named in honour of its discoverer by Sir J. D. Hooker, and was published 
in the “ Handbook” in 1864. Although frequently collected in the vicinity of the 
original station, it does not seem to have been noticed in any other district 
until 1881, when I observed it in great abundance on the Mount Arthur 
Plateau and the adjacent mountains, in north-west Nelson. In the following. 
year I also collected it on the Raglan Mountains, to the east of the Wairau 
Valley. Mr. T. Kirk has gathered it on Mount Captain, between the Waiau 
and Clarence Valleys, and Mr. H. J. Matthews and myself have noticed it on 
Mount Percival and Mount Isabel, to the west of the Hanmer Plains. I have 
seen specimens collected between the Hurunui and Waiau Rivers, which appears 
to be its southern limit so far as is at present known. Its altitudinal range is 
from 3,200 ft. to 5,500 ft. 
The nearest ally of C. Traversii appears to be C. cordatifolia, which, however, 
differs in the cordate leaf-base, and in the absence of the snow-white tomentum 
which gives such a distinctive appearance to the leaf-sheaths of C. Traversi. 
C. petiolata is mainly separated by the narrower and more membranous leaves, 
which are clothed with a thin whitish tomentum beneath, and by the longer 
and more slender scapes, with larger flower-heads. C. Rutlandw is smaller, and 
can be recognized at once by the appressed white satiny tomentum of the 
under-surface of the leaves. 
Prats 95. Celmisia Traversii, drawn from specimens gathered on Mount Isabel, Hanmer, at an 
altitude of 4,000 ft. Fig. 1, bracts from the involucre (x3); 2, ray-floret (x 3); 3, pappus-hairs 
(enlarged) ; 4, disc-floret (x 3); 5, anthers (x 8); 6, style-arms (x 8). 
