Flora of New Zealand Series

Bushy or sometimes matted herb, much-branched, from a stout taproot; branches sometimes straggling and rooting near base, 5-40 cm long. Stems with lines of strigillose, erect eglandular or glandular hairs decurrent from margins of petioles. Lamina of lf elliptic to lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 0.5-2 × 0.2-0.7 cm. Floral tube 0.6-1.5-(3.2) mm deep, glabrous. Petals white or rose-purple, often flushed pink after pollination, 3-8-(18) × 2-5-(12) mm. Capsule glabrous, 2-4-(6.5) cm long; fruiting pedicel 0-0.4-(0.6) cm long.

N.: from Mt Tarawera and Mt Egmont S.; S.: common along the Main Divide and W. from N.W. Nelson to Fiordland, but more scattered in the mountains E. of the Divide, sea level to 2590 m; St.

Endemic.

Montane to alpine damp rock and stony ground.

FL Nov-Mar.

Raven and Raven placed E. erubescens Hausskn., E. vernicosum Cheeseman, and E. rubromarginatum Cockayne, all accepted by Allan (1961), in synonomy under E. glabellum, and noted that some plants treated by Allan as E. krulleanum are referable to E. glabellum. Although Raven and Raven state that E. rubromarginatum intergrades with E. glabellum and is thus unworthy of recognition, this is disputed by some botanists in N.Z. Thus H. D. Wilson (pers. comm.) considers that the bushy versus matted habit alone consistently distinguishes 2 taxa.