Flora of New Zealand Series

creeping cudweed

Stoloniferous perennial; stems 1-2-(4), decumbent or ascending, simple, 2-10 cm tall. Lvs mostly basal; basal lvs short-petiolate, densely white-tomentose on lower surface except mid-vein, almost glabrous to sparsely tomentose on upper, plane, narrow-elliptic to ± linear, cuneate, acute, mucronate, 13-50 × 1-3-(5) mm; cauline lvs not or slightly reduced upwards, ± linear, apetiolate. Capitula 1-2 mm diam., (1)-2-9 in somewhat loose terminal clusters; longest subtending lvs < to slightly > diam. of cluster. Involucral bracts elliptic-oblong, obtuse to subacute, 4.2-5 mm long; stereome green; lamina pale brown, with darker markings toward base; gap and margins tinged pale to bright rose or reddish purple. Achenes with short antrorse hairs, 0.8-1 mm long.

N.: Kaimanawa Mountains; S.: very local in Nelson, Marlborough, inland Canterbury, Otago, and Southland.

Endemic.

Damp sites, especially tarn margins, and seepages in montane grassland and open places.

G. ensifer is similar to G. delicatum, but is distinguished by the lf shape, longer bracts, diffuse infructescence, and larger achenes with longer hairs. This sp. was included in notes by Allan (1961) as G. collinum var. obscurum Kirk.