Flora of New Zealand Series

Fls small, in unisexual or androgynous axillary clusters. ♂ 1-5, clustered on a common peduncle; per. bilabiate, outer lip inflexed in bud, stamen 1. ♀ solitary to few together, sessile; per. ovoid; ovary free, stigma linear, pubescent, ovule erect. Achene invested by persistent per. Creeping to diffuse annual to perennial herbs with alt. lvs; stipules lateral. Genus of a few spp. of Abyssinia, South Africa, Australia and N.Z. The N.Z. sp. occurs in Australia and Tasmania, but the different forms need critical examination.