Authors:
Tufted to clump-forming with short pseudostems. Leaves wide spreading, lanceolate, from 8 to 20cm long, leathery and furrowed, the margin slightly inrolled, the upper surface glossy deep green to silvery, the lower surface thickly close woolly, white to buff. Flowerheads 4-5cm across on erect whitish stems 10 to 25cm tall. Widespread in the mountains of both islands. Perhaps the commonest, and certainly the most variable celmisia, several forms of which are widespread
and easy in cultivation. The type subspecies is rather small with leaves green above. C. spectabilis subsp. magnifica is a larger plant with much wider leaves, silvery-green above and buff below, superficially resembling C. semicordata. C. spectabilis subsp. lanceolata is also large, but with narrow leaves, cream beneath. In all forms, the combination of the felted leaf undersurface, and the inrolled leaf margin (which lacks a fringe of hairs) is diagnostic. Compare with C. semicordata and C. verbascifolia.
