Flora of New Zealand Series

miner's lettuce

Fleshy taprooted annual. Stems erect or ascending, 10-30 cm tall. Rosette lvs entire; lamina rhomboid to spathulate to broadly ovate, subacute or acute, (5)-10-30 × (5)-10-35 mm; petiole (1.5)-5-15 cm long. Stem lvs 2, united to form a 1-3 cm wide suborbicular involucre to the infl. Infl. a (1)-5-15-flowered bracteate raceme with 1-5 basal fls, all fls clustered at first. Bracts obovate, subacute, 3-6 × 1-4 mm. Pedicels (3)-5-15 mm long. Sepals persistent, broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5 mm long. Petals 5, white, entire or notched, 2-3-(6) mm long. Stamens 5, opposite the petals. Capsule subglobose, < sepals. Seeds 1-(3) per capsule, elliptic, smooth, shiny, black with white aril, 1.2-1.5 mm long.

N.: Wellington; S.: Canterbury, Otago, Southland.

W. North America 1896

Shady damp sites, banks, dunes, ditches, gardens, in bush and plantations.

FL Oct-Nov FT Oct-Jan.

This sp. has also been referred to in N.Z. as Montia perfoliata.