Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Paparoa Ranges, Westland, 3000 ft." Type: W, R. Helms, 1885.

Glab. perennial herb forming compact to rather lax patches up to ± 6 cm. diam., and 6 cm. tall. Stems slender, ascending; branches somewhat spreading. Lvs very close-set to rather distant, on slender flattened petioles 1-2 mm. long. Lamina obovate to ovate-oblong, ± fleshy, 3-5 mm. long; margins somewhat thickened. Fls terminal, up to 5 mm. long, solitary, hidden by lvs or nearly so. Calyx deeply lobed, lobes linear to lanceolate, obtuse; corolla longer, tube broad, lobes triangular, acute. Anthers subsessile, between lobes; styles free, ± connivent. Capsule concave at summit by growth of wings, 2-lobed, compressed; outer angles produced into filiform curved processes.

DIST.: S. Grassland and herbfield on Paparoa Range.

Very close to the Tasmanian plant, but the capsule remains almost sessile when mature, and the "processes" are more slender.

In the Petrie Herb. at W are specimens labelled by him as "M. hydrophila sp. nov. inedit." Petrie collected specimens at "Clark's Diggings on top of Mt. Buster near Mt. Kyeburn". Though Petrie made special trips in December and February he failed to find either fls or frs. He also had a few scraps collected by W. G. Morrison in "montane region at S.W. sources of Waiau R., Amuri Co.?" There are also specimens collected by E. M. Heine. "Garvie Mts. 5000 ft. Alpine herb-field." The plant appears to be of somewhat lax habit; lvs narrow, oblong to obovate-oblong to elliptic, narrowed to flat slender petioles ± 2-(3) mm. long. Lamina (3)-4-5 mm. long, obtuse to subacute. Possibly a distinct sp., but neither fls not frs have as yet been seen.