Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Ourisia
Species: Ourisia macrophylla
Binomial name: Ourisia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla
Common name: Mountain Foxglove
Ourisia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla is a shade loving herbaceous perennial, which forms rosettes of leaves and is found above the tree line on Mount Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand.
Sprays of white mimulus like flowers appear during spring and summer at the top of a conspicuous flower stalk which is up to 600mm tall. The white flowers have five corolla lobes that span 20mm from tip to tip and each flower is on a 50 mm longs stalk. All the flower stalks arise at the same level. The flowers have a yellow tube.
The dark green leathery tooth leaves are oval to circular, 4-10 cm in diameter.
Ourisia macrophylla are mainly pollinated by the native bee Lasioglossum maunga (a montane halictid bee).
Photographed Mt Egmont/Taranaki
O. macrophylla about to be pollinated by the native bee
Underside of the leaf
