Flora of New Zealand Series

lady's mantle

Somewhat robust, low-growing herb up to 40 cm high at flowering; rhizomes branching to form leafy clumps. Lvs mostly in rosettes; petioles 150-250 mm long, all with spreading hairs; blade reniform, (50)-70-100 mm diam., divided into 9-(10), shallow, rounded lobes, pale green and with soft, somewhat appressed hairs on both surfaces, somewhat pleated; teeth of lobes even, ovate, ciliate, acute to short-acuminate, red-tipped, 7-9 on each side of terminal lobe; stipules membranous, brownish purple, adnate to petiole for most of length. Infl. of numerous, small cymes subtended by leafy bracts; peduncle densely covered in spreading hairs; all except ultimate infl. branches moderately to sparsely covered in spreading hairs; fls shortly pedicellate, c. 3 mm diam., 4-(5)-merous. Pedicels and hypanthium usually glabrous, very rarely with a few hairs. Epicalyx segments oblong-triangular, c. 0.5 mm long, acute, greenish. Sepals connate at base, triangular, acute, usually greenish, sometimes slightly reddish, > epicalyx segments. Stamens 4-(5). Achene enclosed in obconic hypanthium.

S.: known from only 1 site, Hooker Valley, Mt Cook.

Europe 1976

Damp hollows in grassland, c. 700 m.

FL Nov-Feb.

N.Z. A. gracilis differs from that sp. as it is found in W. Europe in having spreading rather than erecto-patent hairs. In this respect it matches A. gracilis as it is found in E. Europe. It has been previously recorded in N.Z. as A. filicaulis. Both spp. are part of the apomictic complex often previously referred to as A. vulgaris, but true A. filicaulis differs from A. gracilis in having, on the upper surface of the lf, patent hairs often confined to the folds, the upper stems and infl. branches glabrous, and the hypanthium hairy. In N.Z. material, the fresh lvs are pleated and reinform with a wide sinus, whereas they are flat, orbicular and have a narrow sinus once pressed.

Several Alchemilla spp. are cultivated for their foliage, the most common in N.Z. being A. mollis (Buser) Rothm., which differs from A. gracilis in the hairy hypanthium, in having the epicalyx lobes > the calyx lobes and in the mature achene exceeding the hypanthium. A. gracilis does not appear to be in cultivation in N.Z.