Herb with stout, much-branched stock clad in lf-remains, branches creeping, rooting at nodes, living lvs in close rosettes at tips of branchlets; plant viscid, forming patches up to ± 1 m. diam. Lamina subcoriac., ± 35–50–(80) × 12–15–(25) mm.; elliptic- to obovate-oblong; both surfaces strongly longitudinally wrinkled, upper glab. or nearly so, lower with very thin deciduous pellicle and distinct ± pilose midrib. Apex subacute; margins coarsely serrate, slightly recurved; base narrowed to flat petiole ± 10 mm. long. Sheath submembr., strongly striate, very viscid. Scape up to c. 20 cm. long, rather stout, angled, viscid, and with a few hairs; bracts ∞, broadly subulate, lower with lamina up to c. 25 mm. long. Capitula (2)–3–(4) cm. diam.; phyll. scarious, viscid, linear, up to ± 12 mm. long, crowned by tuft of floccose hairs. Ray-florets c. 15–20 mm. long, with very slender tube and narrow-oblong limb; disk-florets narrow-funnelform, c. 7 mm. long, teeth narrow-triangular. Achenes narrow-cylindric, 2.5–3 mm. long, densely clad in ascending ± deciduous silky hairs on ribs. Pappus-hairs white, becoming rufous, up to 7 mm. long, finely barbellate.
[From: Allan (1961) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 1.]