Flora of New Zealand Series

Thlaspi oleraceum Poir. Encycl. 7, 1806, 547.

Nasturtium oleraceum Kuntze Rev. Gen. Pl. 1, 1891, 937.

Type locality: "ad aestuarium charlottae" Type: P. There are Forster specimens in K also.

Erect or spreading, branching, glab. herb; stems woody below, up to 5 dm. tall and c. 5 mm. diam. or more, marked by scars of fallen lvs. Lower lvs c. 3 to 10 mm. long, up to 8 cm. broad, narrowly to broadly obovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, cuneately narrowed to broad flat semiamplexicaul petiole, sharply serrate to dentate-serrate in upper half. Upper lvs smaller and narrower, with few teeth; floral lvs 3 to 1 cm. long, ± obovate-oblong, crenate-serrate. Racemes terminal, simple to much-branched, branches c. 5 to 10 cm. long. Fls ∞, c. 2 mm. diam.; pedicels slender, ascending, c. 5 mm. long. Sepals broadly ovate, ± 1 mm. long; petals somewhat longer, obovate with short claw; stamens 4, glands 4, lanceolate. Silicles broadly ovate in outline, compressed, subacute, very slightly notched, 3-5 mm. long; style about = notch. Seeds ovoid, compressed, reddish brown, < 2 mm. long.

DIST.: K., Three Kings, N., S., St., Sn., Ch., A. Coastal. "Cook's scurvy grass."

FL. 11-3. FT. 12-4.

Formerly plentiful, now becoming rare owing to attack by animals.

Three vars have been distinguished:

(a) var. frondosum Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 34 ―robust, with fleshy serrate lvs up to 12 cm. long, sessile or narrowed into broad petiole. Dist.: N., Three Kings, Little Barrier, and other northern islets. A related form occurs on coastal rocks near Wellington.

(b) var. acutidentatum Kirkloc. cit. 35―more slender, with lvs seldom > 5 cm. long, narrower, acutely and coarsely serrate in upper half, cuneately narrowed into petiole. Dist.: N., S., St., Sn., A., Ch. Coastal.

(c) var. serrulatum Thell. Die Gatt. Lepidium 1906, 293 ―lvs obovate, from middle to apex regularly, finely, acutely serrate. Dist.: S. New River estuary, Riverton, Southland, Godey.

Type: P, Godey.

The sp. needs much further study.