Flora of New Zealand Series

H. muscosa R. Br. ex A. Rich. loc. cit. 208, t. 61, f. 27.

Glab. or nearly so, forming patches ± 2 dm. diam.; stems almost filiform. Lvs on petioles ± 3-5 cm. long; lamina fleshy when fresh, (4)-5-10-(15) mm. diam.; lflts 3, almost sessile, ± 3-4 mm. long, obovate, cuneately narrowed to base, (2)-3-(5)-crenately toothed to entire. Umbels 2-6-(8)-fld on slender peduncles 1-3 cm. long. Fls c. 1-1·5 mm. long, subsessile. Fr. somewhat turgid, glab., us. very pale brown, c. 1-2 mm. diam. Mericarps obtuse on dorsal edge, each face with 1 very obscure rib.

DIST.: N., S., St. Lowland to montane swamp margins, shallow water and flushed ground from lat. 39° southwards.

FL. 11-1. FT. 1-4. Also Australia and Tasmania.

Hooker (Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 83) adopted, with a query, the epithet tripartita for the N.Z. plant, but later (Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 86) adopted muscosa. Index Kewensis 1, 1895, 1184-1185 adopts tripartita for the Australian sp. and places muscosa as a synonym. Until more critical comparisons have been made it seems best to retain tripartita for the N.Z. sp.