Flora of New Zealand Series

Cook's scurvy grass

Glabrous perennial. Stems decumbent to erect, stout, usually flexuous, to 50 cm tall. Lvs all similar, narrow-oblanceolate to obovate, evenly toothed in distal portion, cuneately narrowed to winged petiole at base, bright green, fleshy, 2-10 × 1.5-4 cm. Racemes terminal and lateral, 5-10 cm long at fruiting; pedicels erecto-patent, (3)-5-10 mm long at fruiting. Sepals 1-1.5-(2) × 0.5-1 mm. Petals white, obovate-spathulate, slightly > to twice length of sepals. Stamens 4. Silicles broadly ovate, usually truncate at base, acute at apex, not winged, 3-4-(5) × 2.5-3.5-(5) mm; style 0.1-0.2 mm long; seeds ovoid, brown, not winged, 1.5-2 mm long.

N.; S.; St.; K., Ch., A.

Also indigenous to Lord Howe Id

Coastal, now rare on mainland.

Lf size and shape is very variable in L. oleraceum and a number of infraspecific taxa have been distinguished. These were discussed by Allan (1961). Extinction of many populations on mainland N.Z. has made full study of variation patterns within the sp. impossible.