Flora of New Zealand Series

E. nummularifolium var. pedunculare (A. Cunn.) Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1852, 58.

Type locality: "Near the lake situated between Waimate Mission House and the great forest of Hokianga." Type: K, R. Cunningham, 1834.

Herb forming dense or lax patches up to ± 20 cm. diam.; stems pale green to reddish purple, with internodes ± 1 cm. long; branchlets at first faintly bifariously pubescent. Lvs opp. ± crowded, subsessile; lamina ovate to suborbicular, 3-5-(10) mm. diam., pale green, often red-tinged below, subcoriac., glab.; entire or with a few minute denticles. Fls ± 3-5 mm. diam.; calyx-lobes ovate-lanceolate, glab.; petals white or pale pink. Capsules glab., reddish, (10)-20-40 mm. long; peduncles glab. (30)-50-100 mm. long. Seeds densely papillose.

DIST.: N., S., St. Lowland to subalpine river and stream beds and open damp ground.

FL.- FT. 9-4.

A polymorphic sp. of which a number of forms and vars have been described.

Haussknecht describes his form laxa as with elongate, flaccid stems; lvs up to 10 × 5-6 mm.; petioles longer; capsules longer. This was based on specimens grown from seed in Kew Gardens under the name E. longipes.