Flora of New Zealand Series

Stoloniferous perennial; prostrate stems 1.5-2 mm diam., < 1.5 m long; erect stems 1-2 mm diam., < 15 cm long or longer when scrambling on supporting vegetation. Lvs 2-11 cm long; stipules entire to 5-fid; leaflets 9-15, oblong, 4-17 × 2-10 mm, 8-15-toothed, bright, shining green (rachis often red) and glabrous or sparsely hairy on upper surface, glaucescent and sparsely or densely hairy on veins and margins on lower surface; teeth appearing crenate because of recurved margins. Scape 10-15 cm long, pilose; capitulum c. 9 mm diam. at flowering, < 3.5 cm diam. (including spines) at fruiting; florets c. 80-100-(120); sepals 4; stamens usually 2, rarely 3; anthers white; style 1, white; achene 1. Fr. obconic, c. 4 × 1.7 mm, hairy; spines 4, red, 7.5-12 mm long, barbed, occasionally with stunted subsidiary spines on side of fr.

N.; S.; St.; Ch., C.: throughout but infrequent on west coast of S. Lowland to montane grassland and open places.

Also indigenous to New Guinea and S.E. Australia.

FL Oct-Dec FT Dec-Jun.

A. novae-zelandiae is naturalised on C. where it hybridises with A. minor var. antarctica; it is also naturalised in Britain, Ireland and California.