Flora of New Zealand Series

C. erubescens auct. non  Sims in Bot. Mag. 1808, t. 1067.

Type locality: Gorge of Cass River, Lake Tekapo. Type: BD 78122, A.W. Anderson.

Low-growing ± pubescent perennial herb or subshrub; stock rather stout, often multicipital; branches spreading, slender, ± woody at base, up to c. 3 dm. long. All parts silky-hairy or in some forms nearly glab. Lvs alt., often several together at nodes, on slender petioles up to 2-3 cm. long. Lamina grey-green, broad-ovate to oblong or suborbicular, (5)-8-20 × (5)-8-15-(20) mm.; apex emarginate, base truncate to subcordate, sinus very shallow, margins ± sinuate to rather coarsely crenate. Peduncles very slender, 1-4 cm. long, us. 1-fld, us. with a pair of linear bracts ± 1-3 mm. long, rather distant from calyx. Sepals obovate-oblong, persistent, 3-5 mm. long, pubescent. Corolla white, c. 15 mm. long and diam. Capsule 5-6-(7) mm. diam., valves thin, glab. or very nearly so. Seeds wrinkled, ± hairy, tubercled, c. 3 mm. diam., very dark brown.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland to montane grassland, rocky and stony places from c. lat. 40° to 45° 30' east of divide.

FL. 11-1. FT. 12-2.

Differs from the Australian C. erabescens in smaller size, rather uniform scarcely-lobed lvs, and white fls.