Flora of New Zealand Series

corn salad

Annual herb. Stems ascending to erect, much-branched, 8-35 cm long, sparsely to moderately hairy, especially below, the hairs usually in lines. Lvs basal and cauline or just cauline; lower lvs almost glabrous or sparsely hairy, especially on margins near base, apetiolate and cuneate, spathulate to narrowly elliptic-obovate, obtuse, usually entire, rarely shallowly dentate, 20-60 × 5-12 mm; upper lvs becoming smaller, narrower, obovate-oblong, or elliptic- to linear-oblong, broader based. Bracts subulate to narrowly ovate-triangular, ciliate, 2-6 mm long. Corolla c. 1.5 mm long, c. 1.5 mm diam., pale blue. Fr. oblong-globose, rounded on 1 side and 2-angled on the other, microscopically hairy, c. 1.8-2.3 × 1.5-2.2 mm; fertile loculus greatly thickened and hemispheric on back, with 1 narrow groove; 2 sterile loculi not thickened, forming 2 prominent ribs separated by an oblong groove; calyx not developed.

N.: Three Kings Is, Kerikeri, vicinity of Auckland City (early collections only), Whakatane, Upper Hutt; S.: vicinity of Hurunui and Waikari (N. Canterbury).

Europe, N. Russia, N. Africa, Macaronesia 1855

Waste places, cultivated land, gardens.

FL Oct-Nov.

V. locusta is easily distinguished by the greatly thickened back of the fertile loculus of the fr. (Fig. 120). The sp. has been previously recorded in N.Z. as V. olitoria and Fedia olitoria.