Flora of New Zealand Series

raspweed

Herb, perennating by deep underground stolons. Stems annual, to 30 cm tall, ribbed, scabrid with hairs hooked at apex or almost glabrous. Lvs sessile, alternate, sometimes opposite towards base, 1-3.5 × 0.3-0.8 cm, lanceolate or nearly so, entire or deeply toothed or lobed with deltoid or falcate-deltoid teeth, grey-green, glabrous above, scabridulous beneath and on margins; base attenuate; upper lvs usually entire. Dichasia of 1-3 fls, axillary; primary bracts leaflike, to c. 1 cm long, linear-lanceolate, entire or nearly so. Pedicels 0.1-0.2 mm long. Fls 4-merous, ± reddish. Sepals 1-1.5 mm long, puberulent outside. Petals c. 2 mm long, often reddish, hooked; keel scabridulous. Stamens 8; anthers 1.3-1.4 mm long, narrow-oblong. Ovary 4-celled, not ribbed. Stigmas purplish, fimbriate. Fr. c. 2.5 mm long, subgobose to broad-ovoid, 4-8-ribbed in upper part, rugose; ribs scabridulous.

S.: known from only one area, near Omihi and the Motunau Beach Road (N. Canterbury).

Australia 1968

Modified tussock grassland, roadside.

FL Dec-Jan.

H. aspera is regarded as a serious weed in the Darling Downs area of S. Queensland, but has not yet shown agressive tendencies in N.Z.