Flora of New Zealand Series

Taprooted perennial herb. Stems decumbent to ascending, (5)-10-25-(50) cm long, with glandular hairs above. Lvs not usually fascicled, fleshy, linear, obtuse to mucronate, (5)-10-25-(50) × 1 mm, glabrous or with glandular hairs. Stipules pale, not very silvery, connate c. 1/2 of length and forming a short sheath (older stipules often split apart), triangular, acute, 2-3.5 × 2-3 mm; apex often folded back. Infl. a lax monochasium or unequal dichasium, few- to many-flowered. Pedicels (5)-10-18-(30) mm long, with glandular hairs. Sepals obtuse to subacute, 5-7 mm long, with glandular hairs; margins scarious. Petals purplish pink to white, usually < sepals. Stamens 7-10. Capsule usually > sepals. Seeds circular, very dark brown, smooth, 0.7-0.8 mm long, with a broad membranous finely toothed wing up to 0.4 mm wide, or rarely not winged.

N.: Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wairarapa. Wellington; S.: Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago, Southland.

Also indigenous to most other temperate regions of both hemispheres.

Crevices in coastal rocks, salt marshes, mud and sand flats.

FL (Jul)-Nov-Mar-(May) FT (Aug)-Oct-May.

This sp. was included by Moore (in Allan 1961) as S. marginata (DC.) Kittel; this name, however, is illegitimate. It has also been referred to in N.Z. as S. maritima.