Aciphylla lecomtei J.W.Dawson

Leaf rosettes c. 25 cm diameter in groups of up to 25 or more. Leaves coriaceous, yellowish green, up to 25 cm long, once-pinnate, with usually 4 pairs of leaflets more or less in one plane; sheath up to 90 × 12—6 mm, sheath joint usually obscure; stipules simple, up to 35 × 1 — 1.5 mm; petiole up to 45 × 3—4 mm, ± convex above, margins rounded, pulvinus (Fig. 4) evident, 8—10 mm long; lamina ± obtriangular in outline, lowermost leaflet up to 100 × 3—4 mm, apex acute with a spine c. 1 mm long, margins with very fine tubercles, mid- and margin ribs c. 0.2 mm wide, veins not raised. Inflorescences of broad type. Female inflorescence up to 520 mm long, occasionally larger, with a stem 300 × 10 mm, pale yellow to brown; head 125 × 90 mm, more or less ovate in outline; compound umbels 12— 16, usually arranged in 3 or 4 whorls, the terminal umbel larger than to about the same size as the laterals; lower bracts c. 70 mm long, with a sheath c. 20 × 8—4 mm, stipules, and 1 — 2 pairs of leaflets, upper bracts smaller and simple with stipules. Lower compound umbels up to 70 mm long with peduncles up to 50 × 2.5 mm; primary bracteoles simple, up to 9 × 1 mm; simple umbels c. 13 with peduncles up to 1 5 × 0.8 mm; secondary bracteoles simple, up to 7 × 1 mm; c. 15 flowers per umbel with pedicels up to 3 × 0.2 mm. Sepals up to 0.8 mm long; petals up to 1.4 × 0.7 mm, not inflexed; staminodes up to 0.6 mm long. Mericarps pale brown, dull, up to 4.1 × 2 mm with a style up to 1.2 mm long, lateral ribs up to 0.4 mm wide. Male inflorescences up to 420 mm long, with a stem 290 × 8 mm, pale yellow to brown; head 140 × 105 mm, almost circular in outline; compound umbels c. 8, tending to be in 2 or 3 whorls, the terminal umbel generally larger than the laterals; bracts and bracteoles similar to those of the female; lower compound umbels up to 80 mm long with peduncles up to 55 × 2 mm; c. 14 simple umbels with peduncles up to 15 × 0.4 mm; c. 20 flowers per umbel with pedicels up to 5 × 0.2 mm. Sepals up to 0.8 mm long; petals up to 1.3 × 0.6 mm, not inflexed; stamens up to 2.5 mm long.

[Reproduced from Dawson (1979, New Zealand J. Bot. 17: 339-351) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]