Flora of New Zealand Series

yellow wort

Stems 15-55 cm tall, somewhat angular above, simple or branched in upper part. Lvs 7.5-25 × 4-15 mm, ovate or oblong-ovate, glaucous; base of cauline lvs broad and cordate; apex acute. Cymes loose, few- to many-flowered. Pedicels slender, to c. 4 cm long, sometimes a few fls almost sessile. Calyx 8-12 mm long, lobed nearly to base; lobes acuminate. Corolla 10-15 mm long, bright yellow; lobes 6-9, lanceolate-oblong, patent, closing at night. Stamens as many as corolla lobes; anthers narrow-linear, = filaments. Stigmatic lobes erect at anthesis, later spreading. Capsule c. 1 cm long, ellipsoid. Seeds numerous, < 0.5 mm long, reticulate.

N.: N. Auckland, from Mangonui County south to Whangarei area.

Europe, S.W. Asia, N. Africa 1919

Pasture, roadside, beaches, stream beds, and in Leptospermum scrub.

FL Dec-Feb.

Yellow wort was first collected by Cheeseman in Mangonui County and has only recently spread southwards. This sp. resembles the native Sebaea ovata (Labill.) R. Br. which can be distinguished by the 5-merous fls and cylindric corolla tube. N.Z. material of B. perfoliata can be referred to the type subsp. The sp. has been previously recorded in N.Z. as Chlora perfoliata.