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Senecio reinoldii Endl.

Modern name

Brachyglottis rotundifolia J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Synonyms

Brachyglottis rotundifolia J. R. & G. Forst.; Senecio rotundifolius (J. R. & G. Forst.) Hook. f., not Stokes nor Lapeyr.

An evergreen shrub or small tree varying from 6 to 30 ft high in the wild state; young shoots grooved and, like the stalks and under-surface of the leaves and the flower-stalks, clothed with a close, dense, white felt. Leaves entire, orbicular, heart-shaped, or roundish ovate, blunt or rounded at the apex, the largest 5 in. long by nearly as much wide, the smaller ones 2 to 3 in. long, glabrous and dark shining green above; stalks 1 to 312 in. long, stout, grooved. Flower-heads in large terminal clusters of corymbs from 5 to 10 in. wide, each flower-head 12 in. long, 13 in. wide, white at the sides, yellowish at the top without any ray-florets. The florets are erect and closely packed in a faggot-like cluster. Flowers in June and July; rather unpleasantly scented.

Native of the South Island, New Zealand, where it extends from sea level, often close to the sea, up to 3,500 ft altitude. Although it has little beauty of blossom, it is a striking plant because of the size and roundness of its shining leathery leaves. In September 1928 there was a plant 3 ft high and 4 ft in diameter, growing in an exposed position on the rock garden at Edinburgh. In Mr Cox’s garden at Glendoick, in the valley of the Tay, Perthshire, a plant was 5 ft high in June 1931. On all but our coldest shores it ought to be a good seaside shrub. Kirk, in his Forest Flora of New Zealand, observes that its power of withstanding the fiercest gales and dashing sea spray is marvellous, and that he had never seen a leaf torn by the action of either. (See also S. elaeagnifolius.)

S. elaeagnifolius Hook. f. Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia (Hook. f.) B. Nord. – An evergreen shrub 4 to 10 ft high in the wild state; young shoots slightly channelled, clothed like the under-surface of the leaves and the flower-stalks with a pale, buff-coloured felt. Leaves, mostly oval or obovate, tapered at the base, blunt or rounded at the end, 2 to 5 in. long, 1 to 312 in. wide, glabrous and glossy above; stalk grooved, 12 to 134 in. long. Inflorescence a terminal, pyramidal panicle 3 to 6 in. high. Flower-heads 13 to 12 in. wide, with nine to twelve very woolly scales surrounding the base of each of them.

Native of the North Island of New Zealand, where it ascends to 4,500 ft; very abundant in some places. It is similar to S. reinoldii, especially in having no ray-florets, but the leaves of that species are relatively broader in outline and the inflorescence is shorter, often much broader and more rounded. Neither has really any beauty of flower. S. elaeagnifolius is much the less common of the two in cultivation in the British Isles, and some of the records of this species refer to misidentified narrow-leaved variants of S. reinoldii.

cv. ‘Joseph Armstrong’ S. elaeagnifolius Hook. f. var. buchananii Hort., not (Armstr.) Kirk – A low-growing variant 3 to 4 ft high. Leaves very thick, 2 to 312 in. long, 1 to 138 in. wide; stalks 34 to 112 in. long; veins very distinct above, the principal ones often whitened, especially at their confluence.

S. buchananii Armstr., not Hort. Brachyglottis buchananii (Armstr.) B. Nord.; S. bennettii Simps. & Thoms. – Like S. elaeagnifolius, but leaves thinner, more flexible, with a thinner silvery-white felt beneath; inflorescence-branches rather more slender and involucral scales rather less blunt.

Native of the South Island of New Zealand, where it is rather common in montane forest and scrub, and formerly included within S. elaeagnifolius. Some of the plants in cultivation in the British Isles under S. elaeagnifolius perhaps belong here, but the classification of the rayless New Zealand species is yet to be fully worked out.

S. bidwillii Hook. f. Brachyglottis bidwillii (Hook. f.) B. Nord. – A compactly branched evergreen shrub 1 to 312 ft tall, distinguished from the other rayless species by the smaller, very thick, elliptic-oblong or ovate-oblong leaves, 34 to 1 in. long, 38 to 58 in. wide, on short stalks 16 to 34 in. long; basal lateral veins relatively stronger than the others.

A native of New Zealand, not uncommon in montane and submontane scrub. Typical S. bidwillii is confined to the North Island; in the South Island it is replaced by var. viridis (Kirk) Cheesem., which tends to have a taller, rather more slender habit and larger leaves 113 to 3 in. long, 58 to 1 in. wide.


Genus

Senecio

Other species in the genus