Pachystegia Insignis

The Marlborough rock daisy is a remarkable New Zealand shrub of sea cliffs and rocky faces. Thick leathery leaves are dark green above and densely white-felted beneath, flashing silver in the wind, while white daisies with golden centres rise above woolly young stems. Long cultivated as Pachystegia insignis, it was transferred to the revived genus Shawia in 2025. Endemic to the north-eastern South Island, it thrives in exposed sun and exceptionally free-draining ground. Once established it resents disturbance, humidity and wet roots but becomes a bold evergreen specimen.