Ourisia sessilifolia
Ourisia sessilifolia Hook.f.
Ourisia sessilifolia, described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1864, is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae family. It is endemic to high-elevation regions of the South Island and Stewart Island in New Zealand. The plant forms a rosette of hairy, crenate, ovate leaves and produces flowers in pairs or whorls at each node. The flowers have a regular calyx and a white corolla with a purple interior and exterior, often featuring one or three lines of white hairs inside the corolla tube. It is not considered threatened.
Description
Ourisia sessilifolia is a small-leaved, rosette-forming herb covered in a mix of short glandular and long non-glandular hairs. It is native to the South Island and Stewart Island of New Zealand, where it grows in high-elevation habitats. The species is characterized by its hairy leaves and distinctive flowers, which have a white corolla with a purple inner surface and exterior. The corolla tube may contain one or three lines of white hairs. The plant was first described by Hooker in 1864 and is currently classified as Not Threatened.
Distribution
New Zealand North · New Zealand South
