Flora of New Zealand Series

milkwort

Perennial much-branched herb up to 20-(30) cm high. Stems ± glabrous or with sparse curly hairs, becoming glabrous and woody at base. Lvs all alternate, rarely subopposite at base, glabrous, narrowly elliptic (basal lvs broader), acute, entire, sessile, 5-20 mm long. Fls (8)-10-25-(35) in loose, simple, terminal racemes; perianth coloured or veined pink or violet toward apex; pedicels 0.5-2 mm long; bracts ovate-triangular, c. 1 mm long, deciduous; 3 outer sepals linear to elliptic-ovate, 2.5-3 mm long; wings petaloid, usually elliptic, 5-8 mm long, slightly < corolla; outer petals entire, slightly > keel; keel fimbriate near apex. Capsule glabrous, 4-6 mm long with a marginal wing c. 0.5 mm wide, from 3/4 to = persistent calyx wings; seeds hairy, dark brown, oblong, c. 2.5 mm long; strophiole 3-lobed.

N.: inland Hawke's Bay and vicinity of Taihape and Wairoa; S.: Jenkins Hill (Nelson).

Europe, W. Asia, N. Africa 1922

Pasture and grassland up to 1200 m.

FL Oct-Apr.

Records of this sp. in N.Z. are confused with those for P. serpyllifolia. The 2 spp. are very similar; P. vulgaris is distinguished by being generally larger, with more fls per raceme, the racemes all terminal, and the capsules larger relative to the calyx wings than in P. serpyllifolia.