Flora of New Zealand Series

waoriki

Perennial; rosettes tufted along creeping stems; nodes not usually bulbous. Basal lvs with slender erect or ascending petioles (2)-5-10-(15) cm long; lamina ternate, glabrous, ± circular, 1-2 cm diam.; leaflets sessile, obtriangular, bluntly 3-fid up to 1/2 way, sometimes again bluntly toothed, ± equal. Lvs of flowering stems ternate with linear acute entire leaflets. Fls 1-4-(7) per stem, 7-12 mm diam.; pedicels glabrous. Sepals spreading, glabrous. Petals 4-5, yellow, narrowly oblong, shortly clawed; nectary single, 1-1.5 mm from petal base, with a short semilunar scale. Receptacle with a basal collar of bristles. Achenes 10-20-(30), hardly flattened, glabrous; body 1.5-2 mm long, obscurely wrinkled when ripe; beak straight or curved, 1-1.5 mm long.

N.: throughout; S.: probably throughout but apparently less common in E. areas; Ch.

Also indigenous to Australia.

Very wet places often in peaty soils, 0-900-(1250) m.

Poisonous (Connor 1977).

Although R. amphitrichus superficially resembles R. glabrifolius it is readily distinguished by the collar of hairs at the base of the receptacle, the completely glabrous lvs, having fewer petals with different nectary scales, and usually more achenes. R. amphitrichus may be more difficult to distinguish from R. macropus, but is a smaller plant and generally has shorter, more slender petioles, smaller lvs, smaller fls and fewer achenes. R. amphitrichus was previously known in N.Z. by the illegitimate name R. rivularis DC.