Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Tasmania. Type: K, R. Gunn No. 2028.

Stems pale to reddish green, forming depressed patches up to ± 15 cm. diam., creeping, rooting at nodes, ascending at tips, us. much branched; branches glab. Lvs opp. or sts alt. in floral region, on short petioles. Lamina 6-10 × ± 2-3 mm., ovate or ovate-oblong, submembr. to fleshy, glab.; subentire to obscurely denticulate, upper often more distinctly toothed. Fls subsessile, ± 5-(10) mm. diam.; calyx-lobes lanceolate, glab., < petals; petals white or pink. Capsules glab., 15-20 mm. long; peduncles seldom exceeding ± 7 mm. Seeds minutely papillose.

DIST.: S. Montane to subalpine grassland, herbfield, fellfield throughout.

FL.- FT. 12-2.

Haussknecht gives the main characters as: plants dwarf, herbaceous, caespitose; lvs denticulate; capsules glab. ± 15 mm. long; peduncles ± 10 mm. long. The sp. was based on the specimens of Gunn, together with specimens at K labelled "736 Epilobium near Lake Harris, T.K., Comm. T. Kirk 6/77". The 5 small pieces and a few scraps appear to be conspicific with Gunn's plants. The N.Z. plants at present included under the name E. tasmanicum form a complex group needing much more study.