Flora of New Zealand Series

R. stenopetalus Hook. Ic. Pl. 1844, t. 677.

Low-growing, fleshy, glab. plant creeping by white underground stems, rooting at nodes and emitting tufts of lvs (stems occ. appearing above ground and becoming green, but us. 2-4 cm. deep in sand); internodes ± 5 cm. long. Lvs all radical on slender petioles 2.5-5-(8) cm. long; sheath membr.; lamina 1-2 cm. diam., dark green, 3-foliolate to deeply 3-lobed; Iflts sessile, obovate to oblong, entire to 2-3-lobed or toothed, ± 5 mm. diam. Scapes up to 2 cm. long, nude, slender, 1-fld. Fls 6-9 mm. diam.; sepals 5, membr., broadly ovate; petals 5-8, yellow, spathulate; gland 1 near middle. Fruiting heads 6-9 mm. diam.; achenes turgid, glab., ovoid, ± 2 mm. long; styles straight, subulate, ± 1 mm. long.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch., A. Coastal dampish sands throughout. Known also from shores of Lakes Rotorua, Tarawera, Taupo.

FL. 9-11. FT. 10-12. Also occurs in Southern Chile.

Colenso's R. uniflora (T.N.Z.I. 31, 1899, 267) from Waikaremoana, Oct. 1898, H. Hill appears not to be represented in Colenso's herbarium. It is described as differing from R. acaulis "in several characters - e.g., not stoloniferous, leaflets always entire, petioles largely sheathing, scape with a bracteolate spathe under calyx, petals fewer and differently shaped, and achenes roughish. In size, too, it is much smaller." The petals are described as obovate-spathulate.