Flora of New Zealand Series

Herb, often slightly woody towards base, ± grey-farinose at least when young. Stems prostrate and creeping, or tending to scramble on other vegetation, to c. 70 cm or more long, eventually becoming glabrous. Branchlets slender, sulcate. Lvs alternate or opposite; petiole 1-7 mm long, slender. Lamina 2-13-(15) × 1.5-11-(13) mm (occasionally more in shaded situations), usually hastate, subhastate, or ovate, less often lanceolate, rather thin, densely grey-farinose when young, often becoming red, entire except sometimes for basal lobe; base usually hastate or sagittate and truncate or subcordate; apex obtuse or subacute, sometimes mucronulate. Fls in small terminal or axillary glomerules, these sometimes forming spike-like infls. Perianth segments c. 0.5 mm long, accrescent, broadly ovate, becoming crimson and succulent at fruiting; keel green or reddish. Stamens (2)-3. Fr. 3-5 mm diam., globular; pericarp succulent, crimson. Seed 1-1.5 mm diam., circular, flattened, shining black, reticulate.

N.; S.: to just S. of 45°; Ch.

Endemic.

Nearly always on coastal rocks, gravel and earth banks.

FL Sep-May.

Records for the Kermadec Is (Allan 1961, Sykes 1977, both as Rhagodia triandra) are in error for E. trigonos.