Flora of New Zealand Series

The description in Hooker is: " Stems 2-3 inches long, weak, slender, simple or sparingly branched. Leaves opposite, in remote pairs, 1-2 lines long, connate, ovate-oblong or linear. Flowers few, one to two, sessile or peduncled, very minute. Sepals four, ovate, acute, longer than the ovate acuminate petals. Glands none. Carpels four, one- to two-seeded.(I am doubtful how far this is really distinct from T. verticillaris, [T. sieberiana] which it closely resembles." The gathering was from N. - "East Coast, Colenso".

Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 144) says: "Not having seen any plant which could be satisfactorily identified with this, I have copied the original description". His copy, however, is of the description in Hooker's Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 62. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 143) does the same - he had only seen a "mere scrap in Mr. Colenso's herbarium". In his 2nd ed. 1925, 482, he adds a specimen collected at Happy Valley Beach near Wellington by B. C. Aston, but says: "I do not feel at all sure that Aston's specimens are identical with Colenso's, which are very scanty and imperfect. " The specimens at K are (a) Colenso, N.Z., (b) "Type". 1950 Tillaea debilis Colenso. The few pieces are very imperfect.