Authors: Poepp.   Less.   Endl.  

Botanical Description

A prickly, leafy and open small bush 8-18cm high. Leaves lanceolate, rigid, l-3cm by 2-8mm, glabrous or silky on both surfaces, terminating in a yellow spine with one to four narrow, spine-tipped teeth or lobes per margin. Flowerheads sessile or shortly stalked, forming dense cymes or glomerules at the extreme branch tips. Argentina and Chile from the central cordilleras of Aconcagua south to the volcano and lake districts in loose, light sandy soils at 1500-2500m. Two dwarfer varieties (syn. N. abbreviata) are noted: var. azorelloides 3-8cm tall has decumbent, densely leafy stems, fewer spines, especially on the lower leaves, and few to solitary flowerheads. Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in stony soils from sea level to 1200m. Var. robusta, 6-10cm high, is notably vigorous with long-spined leathery leaves which prominently surround the inflorescence. Patagonian steppe between 500-1500m.