Flora of New Zealand Series

C. triandrum A. Rich. Essai Fl. N.Z. 1832, 212 and later authors non Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 21.

Procumbent slender herb, woody at base, occ. scrambling through low support. Branches slender, at length glab., up to 40 cm. long, us. less; base up to ± 6 mm. diam. Lvs thin, glab., entire or nearly so, of 2 main forms: (a) petiole filiform, seldom > 5 mm. long; lamina 4-10 × 4-10 mm., broad-ovate to suborbicular, ± emarginate and mucronulate (occ. with a few larger lvs): (b) petiole very slender, up to 2 cm. long; lamina 20-25 × 10-15 mm., oblong-ovate, occ. subacuminate, cuneately narrowed to base or truncate, not mucronulate. Specimens showing both forms are sts met with. Infl. of axillary and terminal very slender spikes, up to 10 cm. long, us. less; clusters few-fld, rather distant (sts lower part of spike nude). Per. segs 5, connate towards base, narrow-triangular, margined; stamens us. 5, styles 2. Fr. covered by persistent per.; pericarp adherent. Seed ± 1 mm. diam., black, horizontal (rarely vertical).

DIST.: N., S. Coastal, lowland and montane sandy and rocky places through-out, but rather local inland.

A somewhat polymorphic sp.─the two forms described occur both coastally and inland, and intermediate forms occur.