Flora of New Zealand Series

Smith's cress

Perennial herb. Stems decumbent to erect, hairy, (5)-10-30 cm tall, sparingly branched above. Lvs hairy. Basal lvs persistent or withering at fruiting, ovate or narrow-obovate, entire or rarely lyrate-pinnatifid, 3-10 × 0.5-1 cm; petiole > lamina. Stem lvs suberect, narrowly triangular, sessile, 10-30 × 2-10 mm, with narrow pointed amplexicaul basal lobes; margin with short coarse teeth or almost entire. Racemes 5-10 cm long; rachis densly hairy; pedicels densely hairy, spreading, 3-5 mm long at fruiting. Sepals glabrous or hairy, 1-1.5 × c. 0.5 mm. Petals white, clawed, c. 2 × 0.5 mm. Stamens 6. Silicle elliptic, 3.5-5 × 2-4 mm; lower part of style connate with the broad wing, upper part free for 0.5-1 mm, protruding beyond the short apical notch; valves glabrous or sparsely papillate. Seeds very dark brown, ovoid, 2-2.5 mm long.

S.: Canterbury.

W. Europe 1878

Roadsides, waste land, pasture.

Smith's cress may be distinguished from field cress by its red or violet anthers. It was first recorded in N.Z. as L. smithii.