Flora of New Zealand Series

fish-guts plant

Very foetid, prostrate herb, probably annual, often reddish on exposed parts, with at least young parts and infl. strongly grey-farinose. Stems branched, decumbent or prostrate, stiff, slender, pale, to c. 30 cm long. Petioles 2-5 mm long, slender. Lamina to 1 cm long, rhombic or rhombic-ovate, entire or with 1 pair of teeth; base cuneate; apex acute. Fls in dense axillary glomerules, largest mostly towards shoot apices. Perianth segments 4-5, 0.5-1 mm long, divided almost to base, obtuse, scarcely accrescent, incompletely investing fr. Stamens 1-2, not united at base. Seed horizontal, c. 1.2 mm diam., circular, flattened; margin obtuse; testa minutely punctate, shining.

S.: 41° 30' to 45° 30' E. of the Main Divide.

Endemic.

Lowland to montane open tussock grassland and similar bare or partly bare habitats, rare.

C. detestans is said to be most closely related to the American C. carnosulum Moq. and C. scabricaule Speg. [Wilson, P. G., Nuytsia 4: 135-262 (1983)]. However, it is also very similar to the Eurasian and N. African C. vulvaria; see under that sp.