Flora of New Zealand Series

ladies' legs

Glabrous perennial with thick rootstock and slender stems, climbing by means of slender coiling petioles up to 4 cm long. Lvs digitate; leaflets 5, subsessile or with petiolules to 1 mm long. Lamina of terminal leaflet 1-3 × 0.4-1.3 cm, ovate to ± broad-elliptic, entire; base cuneate; apex obtuse or subacute; other leaflets smaller, especially the basal pair. Fls solitary; pedicels > lvs, to c. 14 cm long, pinkish. Calyx regular; sepals 8-11 mm long, triangular or broadly triangular, green with red dashes within, accrescent and pink at fruiting; spur 2-2.5 cm long, gradually ampliate from swollen distal part, deep pink except for mauvish distal area. Corolla very irregular with only upper 2 petals developed; petals 3-6 mm long (including stalk-like claw 1-2 mm long), scarlet; limb < 5 mm long, elliptic or broad-ovate. Anthers green; filaments streaked red. Frs thinly fleshy; carpels subglobose, often 1-2 remaining small; fertile carpels c. 7 mm diam., becoming dark blue.

N.: several places in the Hamilton area.

C. South America 1988

Over other vegetation in shady or semi-shady places.

FL Oct-Jan.

T. pentaphyllum is a rather uncommon cultivated plant, mainly grown in the North Id. Its vegetative parts can easily be confused with those of T. speciosum, but the fls can be distinguished immediately by the 2 small petals included within the calyx as opposed to the 5 large exserted petals of T. speciosum.