Flora of New Zealand Series

Perennial with rosettes tufted along a slender creeping rhizome usually with swollen nodes. Basal lvs on slender erect or ascending petioles 5-15-(25) cm long; lamina ternate or occasionally palmate, usually with at least 1-2 hairs, sometimes more, ± circular, or slightly broader than long, 1-3-(5) cm diam.; leaflets sessile, divided again to at least 1/2 way, sometimes again toothed, ± equal, the lateral leaflets sometimes divided to base; lvs of flowering stems smaller with 1-3 linear, acute, entire segments. Fls 1-3-(5) per stem, or solitary fls rarely sessile, 12-15-(20) mm diam.; pedicels glabrous. Sepals ± recurved, glabrous or hairy. Petals 5-10, yellow, narrowly obovate, shortly clawed; nectary single, 1-2 mm from petal base, pocket-like. Receptacle glabrous. Achenes 5-20, hardly flattened, glabrous; body 2-2.5 mm long; style straight or curved, 1.5-2 mm long.

N.: Volcanic Plateau, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Wellington; S.: throughout, but apparently rare in Westland; St.

Also indigenous to Australia.

Damp or wet places up to 1250 m.

Melville, R., Kew Bull. : 215-217 (1955), recorded this sp. from N.Z. and gave a full description based on Australian specimens. He discussed the possibility that the considerable variation might be resolved into 2 cytological races.