Flora of New Zealand Series

A. sanguisorbae Vahl subsp. pusilla Bitter in Bibl. bot., Stuttgart 74, 1911, 271.

Main stems rather slender, up to 5 dm. long, creeping and rooting; branches ascending, c. 3-5 cm. long, sparsely to densely pilose. Lvs 2.5-3·5 cm. long; stipules deeply 3-4-fld, up to 4 mm. long; lflts 9-11. Upper lflts 6·5-8·5 mm. long, deeply serrate, brownish green to green above, paler below, glab. or nearly so above, pilose on veins below, teeth penicillate. Scape up to 9 cm. long, slender, ± pilose, nude or with one or more bracts. Heads 1 cm. or more diam. including spines. Sepals ovate to broad-lanceolate, often tinged red, rather sparsely hairy below, ± papillose above. Cupules c. 2 mm. long, obconic, tetragonous, almost winged above, pilose. Spines subequal, up to 8 mm. long, yellowish green sts tinged red. Stamens 2, anthers white. Stigma plumose.

DIST.: S. Tussock-grassland and open places: Lewis Pass, Arthur Pass, Craigieburn Range. Bitter's description was drawn up from garden material; he gives no N.Z. localities, but remarks that it is apparently the commonest N.Z. form. So far the limits of its distribution are not known, but it is much less common than A. anserinifolia.