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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.

12. Cassinia, R. Br

12. Cassinia, R. Br.

Shrubs or very rarely herbs. Leaves alternate, entire. Heads small, numerous, in terminal corymbs or panicles, discoid, homogamoas in most of the species, but usually heterogamous in those found in New Zealand. Involucre oblong or ovoid; bracts in several series, imbricate, scarious; the inner with short white radiating tips. Beceptacle narrow, with scarious chaffy scales among the florets. Florets few, in the majority of the species all hermaphrodite, tubular, 5-toothed; but in the New Zealand species 1 or 2 of the outer ones are female, filiform, minutely toothed. Anthers sagittate at the base, usually produced into slender tails. Style-branches of the hermaphrodite florets terete, truncate. Achenes small, angled or almost terete. Pappus-hairs in 1 series, slender, free or connate at the base.

A small genus of about 20 species, confined to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The New Zealand species are all endemic, and with 1 or 2 from South Africa constitute the subgenus Rhynea, characterized by the inner involucral bracts having short white radiating tips, and by the heads usually having 1 or 2 female florets. The species are very closely allied, and are by no means easy to discriminate.

* Receptacle with numerous scales among the florets.

Leaves ⅛–⅕ in., linear-obovate, white beneath 1. C. retorta.
Leaves 1/12–⅛ in., linear or linear-spathulate, white or yellowish beneath 2. C. leptophylla.
Leaves ¼–⅓ in., linear-obovate or linear-oblong, glutinous, fulvous or whitish beneath 3. C. Vauvilliersii.
page 345

** Receptacle with few or no scales among the florets.

Leaves ¼–⅔ in., linear-spathulate, white beneath 4. C. amcena.
Leaves ⅙–⅓ in., linear or narrow linear-spathulate, glutinous, fulvous beneath 5. C. fulvida.
1.C. retorta, A. Cunn. ex D.C. Prodr. vi. 154.—A much or sparingly branched heath-like shrub 4–15 ft. high; branches stout, spreading, clothed with white tomentum. Leaves numerous, small, crowded, spreading and recurved, ⅛–⅕ in. long, linear-obovate or linear-oblong or oblong-obovate, obtuse, narrowed into a very short petiole, coriaceous, glabrous or hoary above, beneath clothed with dense white tomentum; margins recurved. Heads numerous, in small terminal corymbs, shortly pedicelled, turbinate, ¼ in. long; involucral bracts in several series; the outer shorter, ovate-oblong, tomentose; inner linear-oblong, with short white obtuse radiating tips. Receptacle with many white-tipped scales similar to the inner involucral bracts. Florets 6–20. Achenes glabrous, striate. Pappus-hairs slender.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 132; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 145; Kirk, Students' Fl. 314.

North Island: Common as far south as the East Cape, usually near the coast, on sand-dunes, &c. November–February.

2.C. leptophylla, R. Br. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xii. (1817) 126. —Much like C. retorta in habit and general appearance, but branches more slender. Leaves smaller, crowded, erect or spread ing or recurved, 1/12–⅛ in. long, narrow-linear or linear-spathulate, obtuse, coriaceous, glabrous above, clothed with white or yellowish tomentum beneath; margins recurved. Heads numerous, in small terminal corymbs, very shortly pedicelled, narrow-turbinate, ⅙ in. long; involucral bracts in several series; the outer broader and shorter, glabrous or nearly so; inner linear, obtuse, with short white radiating tips. Receptacle with white-tipped scales sub tending the florets. Florets 6–12. Achene and" pappus as in C. retorta.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 447 (in part); Raoul, Choix, 45; Eook.f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 132; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 145; Kirk, Students' Fl. 314. C. spathulata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 472. Calea leptophylla, Forst. Prodr. n. 287.

North and South Islands: Not uncommon from the East Cape southwards to Marlborough and Nelson. Tauhinu-korokio; Cottonwood. December–February.

Very close to the preceding, but differing in the more slender habit, smaller and narrower leaves, and smaller and narrower glabrate heads. Mr. Colenso's C. spathulata does not seem to me to be even entitled to varietal rank.

3.C. Vauvilliersii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 133.—An erect closely branched shrub 2–6 ft. high; branches stout, erect or spreading, often glutinous, grooved, and with the leaves beneath densely clothed with fulvous or whitish tomentum. Leaves numerous, page 346close-set, erect or spreading, ¼–⅓ in. long or more, linear-obovate or linear-oblong, obtuse, narrowed into a short broad petiole or sessile, coriaceous, glabrous and usually glutinous above, fulvous or white and strongly costate beneath; margins recurved. Heads very numerous, in terminal rounded corymbs, shortly pedi-celled, turbinate, ⅕–¼ in. long; involucral bracts in several series; the outer shorter, ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute, tomntose or glabrate, often reddish towards the tips; inner linear-oblong, with short white obtuse radiating tips. Scales among the florets numerous. Florets 8–15. Pappus-hairs thickened at the tips.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 145; Kirk, Students' Fl. 315. Ozothamnus Vauvilliersii, Homb. et Jacq. Bot. Voy. Astrol. et Zel. 38, t. 5; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 29. Olearia xanthophylla, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 193.

Var. rubra.—Involucral bracts red, glabrous.—C. rubra, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. (1887) 216; Kirk, Students' Fl. 315.

Var. albida, Kirk, l.c.—Branchlets and leaves beneath clothed with whitish tomentum. Leaves linear-spathulate, strongly costate beneath.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands: Not uncommon from the East Cape and Taupo southwards. Sea-level to 4500 ft. December–January.

A very variable plant. I am unable to maintain Buchanan's C. rubra as a species.

4.C. amœna, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxix. (1897) 391. — A small round-topped densely branched shrub 1–2 ft. high; branches stout, furrowed, the younger ones clothed with greyish- white tomentum. Leaves close-set, spreading or suberect, ¼–⅔ in- long, narrow linear-obovate or linear-spathulate, obtuse, narrowed into a short petiole, coriaceous, glabrous above, clothed with dense white tomentum beneath; margins recurved. Heads numerous, in rounded terminal corymbs, narrow turbinate, shortly pedicelled, ⅕–¼ in. long; involucral bracts in several series; the outer shorter, ovate-oblong, obtuse, tomentose; the inner linear-oblong, with short white radiating tips. Florets few, 4–6; scales of the receptacle usually absent or rarely 1 or 2 present. Achene silky, with a thickened areole at the base. Pappus-hairs thickened at the tips. —Kirk, Students' Fl. 315.

North Island: Cliffs near the North Cape, T. F. C. December–January.

A pretty little plant, with much of the aspect of C. Vauvilliersii var. albida, but easily distinguished by the smaller size, narrower heads, fewer florets, and almost total absence of the receptacular scales.

5.C. fulvida, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 145.—A slender erect much-branched shrub 2–6 ft. high; branches glutinous, clothed with fulvous tomentum. Leaves close-set, spreading or suberect, ⅙–⅓ in. page 347long, linear or narrow linear-spathulate or linear-obovate, obtuse, narrowed to the base, coriaceous, glabrous and subviscid above, beneath clothed with fulvous tomentum; margins recurved. Heads very numerous, in terminal rounded corymbs, shortly pedicelled, cylindrical, ⅕ in. long; involucral bracts few, in several series; outer shorter, pubescent or glabrate; inner with short white radiating tips. Scales among the florets wanting or 1 or 2 only. Florets few, 5–8. Achene pubescent. Pappus-hairs few, thickened above.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 316. G. leptophylla var. y, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 133.

Var. linearis, Kirk, l.c.—Leaves rather distant, ¼–½ in. long, very narrow, narrow-linear or linear-lanceolate, clothed with white tomentum beneath. Florets 4–6.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon from Opotiki and Rotorua southwards. Sea-level to 3500 ft. December–February, Var. linearis: Near Dunedin, Aston! H. J. Matthews!

Very close to some forms of C. leptophylla, and only to be distinguished by the more fulvous viscid tomentum, fewer florets, and by the paucity or total absence of the scales among the florets.