Flora of New Zealand Series

Stoloniferous perennial; prostrate, trailing stems 2-3.5 mm diam., < 50 cm long; erect stems 1-2 mm diam., 5-15 cm long. Lvs 1-15 cm long; stipules entire or 2-3-fid; leaflets 7-15, conduplicate, obovate ( var. minor), or oblong ( var. antarctica), 3-20 × 2-10 mm, 6-15-toothed, glaucous and glabrous on upper surface, paler and sparsely to densely hairy on lower surface; teeth conspicuously penicillate. Scape 0.5-2 cm long at flowering, 2-7 cm long at fruiting, pilose; capitulum 6-8 mm diam. at flowering, 1-2 cm diam. (including spines) at fruiting; florets c. 40-50 ( var. minor), or c. 100-130 ( var. antarctica); sepals 4; stamens 2; anthers dark red; style 1, white; achene 1. Fr. obconic, c. 3 × 1.5 mm ( var. minor), or c. 4 × 1.5 mm ( var. antarctica), hairy; spines 4, red or yellow, 6-12 mm long, barbed.

A. and C. ( var. antarctica (Cockayne) Allan, var. minor), Ant. and M. ( var. antarctica).

Endemic.

Coastal to mid-altitude slopes and bird colonies ( var. antarctica), high altitude meadow ( var. minor).

FL Nov-Jan FT Jan-Mar.

Careful comparison of live plants of the smaller forms of A. minor on Macquarie Id is required with those on Auckland and Campbell Is.