Astelia sect. Astelia

Birch, Joanne L., 2015, A revision of infrageneric classification in Astelia Banks & Sol. ex R. Br. (Asteliaceae), PhytoKeys 52, pp. 105-132 : 109

Astelia sect. Astelia

Note.

Low, compact, growth form (including cushion or turf forming taxa); leaves, linear, ensiform, or subulate; reduced inflorescences bearing few flowers; staminate flowers with short filaments (0.5-1.6 mm); pistillate flowers with long outer tepals (4.5-7.0 mm); ovary unilocular, long (4.3-8.3 mm); fruit ovoid or oblong; few or many seeds per fruit (<25), seeds short and narrow (1.1-2.0 × 0.5-1.3 mm).

Included taxa and distribution.

Australia Astelia alpina R.Br. var. alpina , Astelia alpina var. novae-hollandiae Skottsb. Indonesia (Papua Province), Papua New Guinea Astelia papuana Skottsb.. New Zealand Astelia linearis Hook.f. var. linearis , Astelia linearis var. novae-zelandiae Skottsb., Astelia subulata Cheeseman

Habitat.

Lowland (low latitudes) to sub-alpine (mid and higher latitudes) herb-fields particularly on wet substrates (seeps, swamps etc.).