Flora of New Zealand Series

Annual or biennial hairy herb; stems sprawling, grooved, procumbent or spreading, sparingly branched. Petioles to 10-(30) cm long. Stipules small, ovate, ± scarious. Lamina (1)-1.5-5.5-(11) × (1)-1.7-5.5-(11) cm, broad-ovate or ± reniform, not lobed or with 3-5 shallow lobes, crenate or crenulate; base deeply and broadly cordate. Fls irregular, 5-15 in dense umbels; peduncles to c. 10 cm long, very slender; pedicels to c. 6 mm long. Sepals 2.5-5 mm long, ovate-oblong, mucronate or acute; calyx spur minute. Petals 3.5-6.5 mm long, usually pink or rose with purplish streaks on larger upper 2, occasionally white, spathulate, obovate, or oblanceolate. Mericarps 2-2.8 mm long; awn with long, patently pilose hairs. Seed black.

N.; S.; Ch.

Also indigenous to temperate Australia.

1000 m.

FL Dec-Feb.

P. inodorum is a sp. of modified communities and although recorded as indigenous by previous N.Z. Floras (e.g., Allan 1961), its status is doubtful. It is at least reasonably certain that the sp. has greatly increased its range and abundance in modern times.