Flora of New Zealand Series

Small perennial herb forming small to large and extensive moss-like mats; stems prostrate, rooting at nodes, scarcely ascending at tips, much-branched. Lvs connate at base, 0.7-2.8 × 0.3-0.6 mm, c. 0.3 mm thick, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, flattened above, convex beneath; apex acute. Fls solitary in lf axils, star-like, 4-merous, 2.2-3 mm diam.; pedicels c. 0.5-1.3 mm long, elongating to c. 2 mm at fruiting. Calyx lobes 0.5-0.7 × c. 0.5 mm, broadly triangular-ovate, ± obtuse or apiculate. Petals 1-1.4 × c. 0.6 mm, narrowly elliptic-ovate, white with pink flush, subacute, > calyx. Scales 0.3-0.5 mm long, narrowly to broadly cuneate. Follicles smooth. Seed 0.4-0.5 mm long.

N.: Bay of Islands, N. Wairoa R., Kawakawa (N. Auckland), Hunua (S. Auckland), Ohau (Wellington); Ch.

Endemic.

Wet and muddy ground beside streams and drains.

FL Nov-Jan.

This sp. was treated as Tillaea pusilla Kirk by Allan (1961), and was incorrectly transferred to Crassula as C. pusilla (Kirk) A. Druce et Given in 1985, this specific epithet being preoccupied in Crassula.