Page:Manual of the New Zealand Flora.djvu/508

468 Tryon; near Mount Egmont, Buchanan; Ruahine Mountains, H. Hill. Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, T. F. C. Sea level to 3000 ft. November–January.

In habit and foliage this closely resembles large states of M. Forsteri, but the flowers are altogether unlike.

16. M. laeta, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 236.—Perennial; sparingly clothed with short white hispid hairs. Flowering stems one or few from the root, slender, erect, sparingly leafy, 6–12 in. high. Radical leaves 1–3 in. long, rarely more, oblong-spathulate or narrow obovate-spathulate, obtuse or acute, gradually narrowed into rather long petioles, membranous, both surfaces sparingly hispid; cauline few, linear-oblong or lanceolate, sessile, acute. Racemes elongate, simple, many-flowered; pedicels slender. Flowers ⅓–½ in. long, yellow or white with a yellow eye. Calyx hispid with straight or hooked white hairs, 5-partite ¾-way down; lobes linear, acute. Corolla campanulate; tube short, throat with 5 scales; limb large, with 5 short rounded lobes. Stamens with long slender filaments; anthers reaching almost to the top of the corolla-lobes. Style exserted. Nutlets ovoid, pale-brown.

17. M. amabilis, Cheesem. n. sp.—Perennial; everywhere densely clothed with soft white hairs; rootstock stout; flowering stems usually several, rather stout, decumbent at the base, erect above, leafy, 3–9 in. high. Radical leaves numerous, 1–2½ in. long, linear-obovate or obovate-spathulate, obtuse, narrowed into rather long broad petioles, coriaceous, equally hoary on both surfaces with short soft white hairs; cauline smaller, sessile, oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acute. Racemes pedunculate, simple or forked, at first short and capitate, but lengthening as the flowering advances, many-flowered. Flowers large, white, ½–⅔ in. long, ½ in. diam., very shortly pedicelled. Calyx ⅓ in. long, densely hispid with soft white hairs, lobed about two-thirds way down; lobes lanceolate, acute. Corolla large, campanulate or broadly funnel-shaped; tube exceeding the calyx, with 5 rather narrow scales at the mouth; limb large, with 5 rounded veined lobes. Stamens attached above the level of the scales; filaments nearly twice the length of the anthers, which reach more than half-way up the corolla-lobes. Ripe fruit not seen.