Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: A. Type: K, "Lord Auckland's Group, J. D. H."

More or less decumbent annual herb rooting at lower nodes and forming patches up to several decimeters across. Stems glab., sparingly branched. Lvs distant, membr. to slightly fleshy, ovate to elliptic, acuminate, base cuneate, lamina 4-13 × 4-10 mm., petioles up to 3 mm. long, winged, us. with some marginal multicellular hairs. Fls in reduced, us. 2-fld axillary infl., the compound peduncle > or < length of lf- lamina. Sepals 5, (4)-5-(8) mm. long, glab., broad with very narrow pale border if any; petals 5 or 0, shorter than sepals, deeply divided into two narrow lobes; stamens 5-10; styles 3, capsule thin-walled, rarely more than a third longer than sepals, splitting into 6 valves; seeds c.1 mm., minutely papillose, some rows of papillae near keel sharp-pointed and translucent, brown.

DIST.: A., C., M., Sn. Widespread, especially at lower levels.

FL. 11-2. FT. 12-2.