Lepidium flexicaule Kirk
Perennial. Stems ascending to erect, 15-30 cm tall, glabrous or with papillose hairs especially above. Lvs ± fleshy. Basal lvs withering at fruiting, glabrous, pinnatifid to pinnate, narrow-obovate to narrow-oblong, 5-10-(15) × 1-2-(3) cm; pinnae in 2-5 pairs, coarsely to bluntly toothed, especially distally. Stem lvs narrow-obovate to spathulate, toothed or crenate at apex, cuneate to rather abruptly narrowed at base, 10-30 × 5-10 mm, glabrous or with sparse surface hairs and rounded, almost papillate, cartilaginous marginal denticles. Racemes 10-30-(40) mm long; rachis and pedicels glabrous or sparsely hairy; pedicels erecto-patent, 3-5 mm long at fruiting. Sepals glabrous or sparsely hairy, green with scarious margins, c. 1 × 0.5 mm. Petals white, < sepals. Stamens 2, rarely 4. Silicles ovate to suborbicular, 3-4 × 2.5-3 mm, crowded; style 0.1-0.2 mm long, free from the narrow wing, c. = the notch; valves glabrous. Seed narrow-ovoid, brown, not winged, c. 1.5 mm long.
N.: Auckland; S.: Nelson to S. Westland.
Also indigenous to Tasmania
Coastal rocks.
FL Nov-Jan-(Mar) Dec-Mar-(May).
Plants from Auckland, Nelson and N. Westland have stems ± hairy, and upper lvs ± hairy and with papillate margins. S. Westland plants are fleshier, glabrous and have stout, erect stems. The sp. resembles the Australian L. desvauxii from which it is distinguished by rounded (not triangular) marginal papillae on upper lf margins (or glabrous), infl. < 5 cm long, lvs ± fleshy, upper lvs narrow-obovate to spathulate (not linear-oblong), and silicle 2.5 mm or more in width.
