Flora of New Zealand Series

panakenake

Glabrous or almost glabrous herb, prostrate or decumbent, forming small to large mats or diffuse patches. Stems creeping, rooting at nodes, simple or branched, slender. Petioles 1-2-(5) mm long. Lamina 2-12 × 2-8 mm, broad-ovate to almost orbicular, usually ± coarsely sinuate-dentate, sometimes entire or nearly so, membranous to semi-succulent, often purple beneath. Peduncles to 6 cm long, slender. Fls solitary. Calyx lobes 2-4 mm long, linear to narrow-triangular. Corolla white, deeply lobed; lobes 7-15-(18) mm long, linear-lanceolate to elliptic or oblanceolate, purple-veined, acute or apiculate; lower lip spreading; upper lip ± spreading. Fr. 7-12 mm diam., broad-obovoid to subglobose, reddish purple to pinkish purple.

N.; S.; St.

Endemic.

Lowland to low-alpine, usually rather damp places in open forest, streamsides, grassland and open rocky places, sometimes modified habitats such as lawns.

FL Oct-Apr.

In Britain, P. angulata sometimes grows in lawns, having escaped from cultivation. The plants there are often called Pratia 'Treadwellii'. Allan (1961) recorded " P. Treadmanii"; this is probably a mistake for 'Treadwellii' because he cited a cultivated specimen at Kew. P. angulata is very variable, particularly in lf size, and Allan suggested that there may be 3 main groups within it. Often the sp. is simply known as pratia.