Pachystegia

Pachystegia is a genus of shrubs in the family Asteraceae, known as Marlborough rock daisies, with distinctive leathery leaves and daisy-like flowers. They are naturally found only in dry areas of the north-eastern South Island of New Zealand.

== Taxonomy == Pachystegia was first described by Joseph Hooker in 1855 from specimens collected along the banks of the Waihopai River, Marlborough. Hooker placed it in the tree daisy genus Olearia, naming it Olearia insignis. In 1915 Thomas Cheeseman named a smaller variety O. insignis var. minor; eventually he decided the species was sufficiently different from tree daisies to warrant its own genus, Pachystegia, meaning “thickly covered”, referring to the dense hairs on the undersides of its leaves. Later field study and analysis of flavonoids suggested there were at least six taxonomic entities in Pachystegia. P. minor was elevated to species status, and P. rufa named, but several species remain undescribed.