Flora of New Zealand Series

Glabrous perennial, rarely sparsely hairy in upper parts; roots both fibrous and swollen. Stems slender or stout, erect, 15-30 cm long, with axillary bulbils sometimes present. Basal lvs fleshy, deeply cordate, broadly ovate to deltoid, acute to obtuse, entire or shallowly crenate or dentate, (1)-3-10-(13) × (1)-3-8-(12) cm; petiole (3)-5-20-(40) cm long; cauline lvs similar to basal, smaller, often shallowly lobed. Fls 1-5 per stem, 30-50 mm diam. Pedicels erect, terete, 5-25 cm long. Sepals 3, spreading, orbicular, obtuse, c. 1 cm long. Petals 8-12-(15), yellow, oblong, 10-25 × 5-8 mm; nectary single, ± basal, covered by a very small triangular or oblong scale. Receptacle hairy. Achenes 30-60, pubescent, ovoid, keeled, sometimes not ripening; body 2-2.5 mm long; beak minute.

Possibly poisonous (Connor 1977).

Two of the 4 subspp. recognised by Tutin, T. G., in Fl. Europ. 1: 234 (1964), are present in N.Z.