Flora of New Zealand Series

Small annual or perennial herb forming small clumps; stems 2-5-(15) cm long, decumbent, slender, sometimes rooting at nodes in moist conditions, much- branched. Lvs connate at base, 2-2.5-(4) × 0.5-0.7-(1) mm, c. 0.7 mm thick, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, flattened above, convex beneath; apex acute. Fls in small cymose clusters in lf axils, not star-like, 4-merous, 2-3 mm diam.; pedicels < 1 mm long at anthesis, to c. 2 mm long and ± = lvs at fruiting. Calyx lobes c. 1-1.2 × 0.7-0.8 mm, very broadly ovate, acute to short-acuminate. Petals c. 0.8-0.9 × 0.5-0.6 mm, broadly ovate, green or reddish green with pink tips, shortly acuminate, slightly < calyx lobes. Scales c. 0.3 mm long, very narrowly spathulate. Follicles smooth. Seed 0.3-0.5 mm long.

N.: N. Auckland S. to Wellington; S.: Marlborough, occasional in Nelson, Canterbury, Westland, and C. Otago.

Also indigenous to Australia.

Rocks, cliffs, open ground, especially near the coast.

FL Aug-Dec.

The close relationship of C. sieberiana to C. tetramera is discussed briefly under the latter. C. sieberiana was treated by Allan (1961) as Tillaea sieberiana and his circumscription of the sp. included plants referred here to C. tetramera.