An evergreen shrub of bushy habit up to 6 ft or more high; young shoots slender, slightly ribbed. Leaves oblong or slightly obovate, rounded at the apex, tapered at the base; numerously toothed, 1 to 2 in. long, less than half as wide, dull green and glabrous; stalk slender, up to 1⁄2 in. long. Inflorescence a flattish or slightly rounded, terminal, erect, many branched corymb, 3 to 6 in. wide. Flower-heads small, 3⁄8 in. long and as much wide, funnel-shaped; ray-florets two or three, bright yellow; disk-florets four to eight.
Native of North Island, New Zealand; discovered by Sir Joseph Banks and Solander when with Cook on his first voyage to New Zealand (1769-70), and not recorded again until found by Archdeacon Williams in 1870. It was grown by Major A. A. Dorrien-Smith at Tresco Abbey, Scilly; at Ludgvan Rectory in Cornwall; and Mrs Vereker, Sharpiton, S. Devon, sent it in flower to Kew in 1922. It is not likely to succeed out-of-doors except in these and similarly mild localities. It flowers during December in New Zealand, during June and July in England.
S. perdicioides Hook. f. × S. Dunedin Hybrids – An evergreen shrub of bushy habit up to 6 ft high and 9 ft across, much-branched; young shoots white-felted. Leaves ovate or elliptic, blunt at the apex and base, finely toothed, 1 to 31⁄2 in. long, 1⁄2 to 13⁄4 in. wide, yellowish green above, white- or brownish-felted beneath. Inflorescences like those of S. perdicioides but flower-heads rather larger; flower-stalks and scales of involucre thinly felted, also glandular-hairy; ray-florets five to seven, bright yellow.
A garden hybrid, known from Tresco Abbey, Scilly; Glasnevin; and The Gardens, Ilnacullin, Glengariff, Co. Cork; it is also cultivated in New Zealand.