§ 2. Discoideum; radii corollis abbreviatis, bifidis trifidis v. tripartitis. (Pachythrix, Hook. fil.)
2. Pleurophyllum criniferum, Hook. fil.; caule toto dense albo-lanato, capitulis globosis, subdiscoideis ligulis brevissimis, receptaculo planiusculo alveolato, alveolarum marginibus submembranaceis dentatis. ([[../../Plate XXIV.XXV|Tab. XXIV. & XXV]].)
Hab. Lord Auckland's group and Campbell's Island; generally in marshy places from the sea to an elevation of 1000 feet, abundant. McQuarrie's Island. (Herb. Hook.)
Radix crassa, carnosa, subfusiformis, descendens, nigro-fusca, collo fibris crassis elongatis rigidis crispato-tortuosis fuscis sublignosis (reliquiis foliorum) coronata. Caulis elatus, erectus, crassus, simplex, v. rarius inferne parce ramosus, 4-6-pedalis, basi unciam diametro, carnosus. Folia inferiora approximata, multinervia, plicata, subtus præcipue valde sericea, basi longe sericeo-villosa, nervis crassis subtus prominentibus fuscis; marginibus minute spinuloso-serratis: radicalia maxima, concava, ovalia, obtusa, sæpe bipedalia, pedem fere lata, basi attenuata amplexicaulia; superiora sensim minora, angustiora, apice acuminata, basi magis attenuata: suprema fere subulata, in bracteis transeuntia. Capitula in racemum spithameum et ultra disposita, nutantia, majuscula, subglobosa, unciam lata, pedicellata, pedicellis subuncialibus curvatis teretibus rachique dense sericeo-lanatis. Involucri squamæ lanceolatæ v. subulatæ longissime subaristato-acuminatæ, crassæ et coriaceæ, dorso pilosæ, medio uninerves, marginibus scariosis argute ciliato-serratis, apicibus fuscis. Pappus rigidus, subpaleaceus v. nitidus, recens flavidus, siccitate fuscus apicibus opacis. Fl. Radii sub 3-seriales, ligulati, tubo brevi terete curvato piloso pilis patentibus mollibus laxis moniliformibus; ligula late ovata, brevissima, tubo subæquilonga, 4-nervis, 3-dentata, v. inæqualiter 2-3-fida, v. tripartita, segmentis linearibus obtusis, marginibus incrassatis, luride purpurascens.
A very common and striking plant, often covering a great extent of ground, and forming the larger proportion of the food of the hogs which now run wild upon the islands of Lord Auckland's group. It is indeed so abundant in the marshy spots on the latter islands that these animals frequently live entirely amongst it, especially when it grows near the margins of the woods, where they form broad tracks or runs through the patches, grubbing up the roots to a great extent, and by trampling down the soft stems and leaves use them as soft and warm forms to litter in. The leaves are exceedingly handsome, generally two feet long and one or a little more in breadth, from their concavity holding a considerable quantity of the rain-water or melted snow which so frequently falls in those latitudes; in substance they are coriaceous, but not nearly so much so as in the preceding species, and they are more copiously silky. A full-grown leaf is generally traversed by 30-40 parallel strong nerves, very prominent on the under surface and then dark-coloured and nearly glabrous, depressed on the upper with longer silky hairs. The intervening parenchymatous substance is traversed by numerous slender anastomosing veins, beneath densely clothed with a white appressed cottony wool, and above silky with scattered subarachnoid hairs. The hairs and woolly substance which clothe all the stems, leaves and pedicels of the capitula are formed of simple terete transparent matted filaments. I do not find amongst them any of the short rigid beaded setæ which are intermixed with the softer hairs of the P. speciosum. The capitula are 15-20 in number; the lower ones only bracteate with the uppermost leaves, the terminal generally having a smaller elongate subulate nearly glabrous green bract. The intermediate ones are the most densely silky on both sides, often so much so as entirely to hide the nerves; in these, too, the curious but minutely spinuloso-serrate character of the margin is most easily detected; the apices of the serratures are callous and glabrous, almost entirely hid amongst the silky tomentum.
Though this plant is nearly allied to the former species (P. speciosum), and agrees with it in all the most important characters, they materially differ in the more outward points of resemblance. Indeed I only know one genus to which the present plant bears any marked similarity in general habit and appearance, and that is the Argyroxyphium, DeC. (Prodr. vol. v. p. 668 ; Hook. Ic. Plant. vol. i. p. 75). The mode of growth of these
