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Story: Alpine plants

Penwiper plant

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Penwiper plant

Two species of penwiper plant grow on South Island screes. The largest, Notothlapsi rosulatum, pictured here, consists of a rosette of overlapping fleshy grey leaves. In summer it produces a central stalk of sweet-smelling cream flowers.

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by John Dawson

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How to cite this page

Hugh Wilson, Alpine plants – Alpine rock vegetation, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11039/penwiper-plant (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Hugh Wilson, published 1 March 2009.