Flora of New Zealand Series

Glabrous, perennial herb, forming very loose mats; stems numerous, freely rooting at nodes, decumbent with ± erect apical parts to c. 7 cm high. Lvs alternate, sessile, densely crowded and imbricate in a cone-like cluster occupying the terminal 2-3 cm of stem, c. 10-25 × 1.2-2.5 mm, c. 1 mm thick, linear or narrowly linear-lanceolate, with lower surface convex and upper surface flat, with angular, entire margins, green or possibly sometimes glaucous-white; apex obtuse or acute. Infl. terminal, usually 8-22 cm high, with numerous, long, leaflike bracts along main rachis; cyme corymbose, usually 2.5-6 cm across, with 2-5 forked branches. Fls numerous, ± subsessile, secund. Sepals ± equal, 2-3 mm long, triangular or triangular-ovate. Petals 5, ± patent, c. 4-5 × 1-1.5 mm, elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, yellow, subacute. Stamens 2.5-3.5 mm long; filaments yellow; anthers yellowish. Carpels and styles ± yellow. Scales ± rectangular-oblong, longer than wide. Follicles yellow, ± parallel. Seed c. 0.7 mm long, ellipsoid, papillate but not longitudinally ribbed.

N.: Little Barrier Id (N. Auckland), Rangitoto Id and several localities in Auckland City.

C. and W. Europe 1988

Coastal sites, behind beaches on shingle, on lava rock, waste places in the vicinity of gardens.

FL Oct-Dec.

S. forsteranum appears to be confined to the north of the North Id. It has been confused with S. reflexum in N.Z. partly because the important distinguishing character of lf shape as seen in cross section is only evident in living material; consequently, some herbarium specimens of wild plants cannot be confidently assigned to either sp. S. forsteranum is usually a somewhat smaller and more slender plant than S. reflexum, the fls also seem to be slightly smaller, and the dense cone-like appearance of the ascending leafy shoots is characteristic.

S. reflexum, S. fosteranum and related spp. constitute one of the taxonomically most difficult groups in the genus. N.Z. plants of S. fosteranum generally agree with descriptions in overseas works but differ in retaining almost no dead lvs beneath the lf clusters.

Both S. forsteranum and S. reflexum vary in lf colour. In N.Z., most plants of S. forsteranum probably have grass green lvs but some plants, provisionally treated here under S. forsteranum, are somewhat larger than the green-leaved form and have pale ± glaucous-white lvs. The lvs of S. reflexum are usually glaucous or occasionally deep green.

S. forsteranum has until recently usually been treated as a var. or forma of S. rupestre L. Thus, in many older works S. rupestre sens. strict. was said to have glaucous lvs and var. or f. forsteranum green lvs.