Flora of New Zealand Series

Perennial; rosettes tufted, on stout decumbent stolons. Basal lvs broadly ovate to triangular, truncate to shallowly cordate at base, usually 3-fid to about 1/2 way, 1-2-dentate, glabrous above, usually weakly hairy beneath and on petiole, (7)-10-20 × (7)-10-20 mm; cauline lvs opposite or in loose whorls, similar to basal but smaller and more rounded at base. Pedicels short at flowering, terete, sparsely hairy, elongating to (2)-3-8-(12) cm at fruiting. Fls 6-9 mm diam. Sepals spreading, sparsely hairy or almost glabrous. Petals (2)-5, yellow, obovate; nectary single, 1-1.5 mm from petal base, covered by a small triangular scale. Receptacle sparsely to moderately hairy. Achenes 10-30, slightly flattened, glabrous, sometimes purple-blotched; body 1.5-1.8 mm long; beak straight, c. 0.3 mm long.

N.: Volcanic Plateau, Kaimanawa Mountains, Kaweka Range, Ruahine Range.

Endemic.

Watercourses in tussock grassland, bogs, flushes, tarn edges, 1450-1650 m.

R. carsei is very similar to some forms of the R. foliosus complex but may be distinguished by its stoloniferous habit, dentate lf margins and the fewer and smaller achenes.