Aciphylla trifoliolata Petrie

Plants of 1-several rosettes with ascending leaves. Leaves cartilaginous, yellow to orange-green, up to 40 cm long, once-pinnate with 1-2 pairs of leaflets; sheath up to 75 × 19-8 mm (width at base and apex respectively); stipules simple, up to 40 × 1 mm, up to 6 mm apart at insertions; petiole up to 110 × 4.5 mm, concave, margins acute, sheath joint evident, pulvinus evident, up to 10 mm long; lamina ± obtrullate in outline; lowermost leaflet up to 190 × 5.5 mm with an apical spine up to 3 mm long, margin and midribs yellow, up to 0.5 mm wide, the former not raised; marginal tubercules coarse, up to 0.15 mm wide, forming a continuous series. Inflorescences narrow. Female inflorescences up to 45 cm long with stems up to 285 × 7 mm, reddish brown; head up to 170 × 17 mm, more or less lanceolate in outline; compound umbels up to 22; lower bracts up to 100 mm long with a sheath up to 28 × 8 mm, stipules up to 20 × 1.5 mm and a simple lamina up to 65 × 3.5, all segments ascending to appressed. Lower compound umbels up to 30 mm long with peduncles up to 6 × 1 mm, primary bracteoles usually wanting; up to 4 simple umbels with peduncles up to 17 × 0.7 mm, the innermost umbels often sessile; secondary bracteoles few, up to 3 × 0.3 mm; a few accessory umbels in the bract axils. Up to 10 flowers per umbel with a few in the centre reduced; pedicels up to 4 × 0.4 mm; sepals up to 0.5 mm long; petals c. 1.3 × 0.4 mm not inflexed and with a conspicuous red-brown median oil tube; staminodes up to 0.75 mm long with anthers 0.3 mm long; mature mericarps darkish brown and dull, up to 6 × 1.5, each pair with 5/3,5/4, or 4/3 ribs; lateral ribs c. 0.2 mm wide; oil tubes orange, up to 6 on commissure, 3-4 in the intervals, those in the ribs equal to or smaller than those of the intervals; styles up to 0.8 mm long. Male inflorescences up to 32 cm long with stems up to 140 × 6 mm, reddish brown; head up to 180 × 50 mm, narrow-ovate in outline; compound umbels up to 26; lower bracts up to 100 mm long with a sheath up to 30 × 8 mm, stipules up to 30 × 1 mm and a simple lamina up to 74 × 4 mm, segments ascending. Lower compound umbels up to 50 mm long with peduncles up to 30 × 1 mm, primary bracteoles usually wanting; up to 9 simple umbels with peduncles up to 10 × 0.5 mm, the innermost umbels often sessile or almost so; secondary bracteoles 4 or 5, up to 5.5 × 0.8 mm; a few simple to partly compound accessory umbels in the bract axils. Up to 12 flowers per umbel; pedicels up to 2 × 0.1 mm; sepals up to 0.3 mm long; petals c. 1.1 × 0.5 mm, not inflexed and with a conspicuous redbrown median oil-tube; stamens c. 1.75 mm long with filaments 1.5 × 0.1 mm, and anthers 0.4 × 0.3 mm.

[Reproduced from Dawson (1980, New Zealand J. Bot. 18: 115-120) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]