Var. albiflora, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 340.—Stouter and coarser than the type, 6–18 in. high, more copiously hairy. Radical leaves 3–6 in. long, on rather longer petioles, thicker, often somewhat fleshy; cauline narrower. Flowers white. Stamens on filaments almost as long as the anthers; anthers altogether ahove the level of the corolla-scales.—M. capitata sub. sp. albida, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 224.
South Island: Otago—(var. albiflora) Cliffs on the east and south coasts, rare, Lindsay, Buchanan! Petrie! Stewart Island and The Snares: (var. albiflora) Plentiful on the coast. Rev. Mr. Stack, Petrie! Kirk! Auckland and Campbell Islands: The typical form not uncommon. Sir J. D. Hooker, Kirk! December–February.
I have seen no specimens of the typical form save from the Auckland and Campbell Islands, but a blae-fiowered state is said to occur on cliffs near Dunedin which may be referable to it. The variety albiflora approaches Exarrhena in the stamens, but the filaments do not exceed the anthers.
9. M. explanata, Cheesem. n. sp.—Perennial; clothed in all its parts with short hardly rigid spreading white hairs; rootstock long, stout; stems usually numerous, simple, decumbent below, ascending or suberect above, leafy, 6–12 in. high. Radical leaves numerous, 2–4 in. long, linear-obovate or oblong-spathulate or linear-spathulate, obtuse or rarely subacute, narrowed into rather long broad petioles, membranous, uniformly but rather sparsely clothed on both surfaces with short soft white hairs; cauline smaller, sessile, linear-oblong or lanceolate. Racemes short, simple or branched, many-flowered, in the early flowering stage forming dense heads. Flowers large, ½ in. long, ½–⅔ in. diam., pure white, very shortly pedicelled. Calyx rather more than ⅓ in. long, hispid with straight or curved hairs; lobes linear, obtuse. Corolla-tube slightly longer than the calyx, slender, cylindrical, throat with 5 scales; limb broad, flat, spreading, with 5 rounded lobes. Stamens included; filaments very short; anther-tips level with the corolla-scales. Style long, slender. Nutlets narrow-oblong, obtuse, shining, black.
South Island: Canterbury—Mountains above Arthur's Pass, T. F. C., Cockayne! Walker's Pass, Cockayne. 3000–4500 ft. January.
A very handsome plant. It differs from the typical state of M. capitata in the large pure white flowers (which are quite twice the size of those of M. capitata), in the large calyx, and in the more membranous less hairy leaves. M. capitata var. albiflora recedes in its larger size and coarser habit, and particularly in the anthers, which are altogether above the level of the corolla-scales, whereas they are always below in M. explanata.
10. M. Traversii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 194.—Perennial, much branched from the base, 2–6 in. high; everywhere densely hispid with erect or spreading straight or hooked stiff white hairs; rootstock long, stout; stems erect or ascending, stout, leafy. Eadical leaves 1–1½ in. long, ⅕–⅓ in. broad, linear-spathulate, obtuse, narrowed into short petioles, coriaceous, both surfaces rough and hispid; cauline numerous, linear-oblong, sessile, erect.
