Flora of New Zealand Series

Perennial herb with napiform or cylindric taproot to c. 2.5 cm diam.; caulorrhiza short and thick, bearing long weakly ascending flowering stems. Hairs variable; longer hairs straight to slightly curved; glandular hairs short and inconspicuous. Basal lvs: petiole to 30 cm long, with fine, straight or curved long hairs and shorter straight and crisped retrorse hairs; lamina to c. 7 cm diam., reniform to orbicular, lobed to 3/4-⅞ way to midrib, glabrous or densely hairy above; lobes (5)-7, obovate; larger lobes with (3)-5-(9) teeth; median and larger lateral teeth ± oblong, usually obtuse. Cauline lvs similar to basal but smaller, usually 3-5-lobed; teeth usually 3-5 per lobe. Peduncle and pedicels with hairs as on petioles; bracteoles lanceolate or narrow-triangular; fls usually in pairs, occasionally solitary. Sepals ovate or elliptic-ovate; outer sepals c. 5.5 × 3.5 mm excluding mucro; inner sepals slightly narrower; hairs straight or slightly curved, antrorse and ascending. Petals to c. 7.5 × 4.5 mm, obovate, rose-pink. Mericarp hairy; beak to c. 15 mm long. Seed c. 2 × 1.6 mm diam., subglobular to oblong, dark reddish brown or almost black; dorsal alveolae deep, usually 4-6-sided, isodiametric or longer than wide.

(1) "Large petals" of Gardner (1984, loc. cit.). Taproot napiform; lamina of lf glabrous above except for margin and base; hairs of petioles and pedicels straight, to c. 1.5 mm long, perpendicular to surface; petals usually > 7 × 4 mm; alveolae of seed mostly 5-6-sided, isodiametric.

(2) " Coarse hairs" of Gardner (1984, loc. cit.). Taproot cylindric, tapering below; lamina of lf densely hairy above; hairs of petioles and pedicels retrorse or antrorse, to c. 1.2 mm long; petals < 5.5 × 4 mm; alveolae of seed mostly 4-5-(6)-sided, longer than wide.

N.; S.: widespread except W. of the Southern Alps.

N.: fairly common in N. Auckland, but rare elsewhere; S.: Nelson, Banks Peninsula, rare.

Also indigenous to temperate Australia.

Also indigenous to temperate Australia.

Open lowland places, mostly near the coast in natural and partially modified grasslands, very occasionally in waste places.

Dry, open, lowland places, mostly near the coast in natural or modified grassland, sometimes in waste places.

FL Oct-May.

G. solanderi was treated by Allan as G. pilosum Willd. non Cav.

Gardner, R. O., New Zealand J. Bot. 22: 131-134 (1984), stated that most N.Z. material of G. solanderi belongs to 1 or other of 2 forms. He did not give them taxonomic recognition because their distinctness is lost in Australia.

This form was not collected in N.Z. until the mid 19th century; Gardner (loc. cit.) noted that its absence from earlier collections suggests that it is probably an introduction from Australia, and that it is probably still increasing its range in N.Z. However, the evidence is not considered sufficient for this form to be considered naturalised in N.Z. (see under G. homeanum).