Flora of New Zealand Series

Erect annual herb to c. 1 m tall, non-aromatic, eglandular; young parts farinose with the vesicular hairs light violet-purple, becoming efarinose. Petiole to 9 cm long, often purple; lamina 1-3× petiole, 4-11-(16) × 4-11-(12) cm, broadly triangular, sometimes almost rhombic, coarsely and irregularly dentate; teeth acute; base broad-cuneate to truncate; apex obtuse, mucronate, or ± acute; infl. lvs smaller, ± oblong-ovate. Infls paniculate, with terminal and axillary branches; glomerules rather small, globular, few-flowered, strongly farinose. Perianth segments 0.5-1.1 mm long, broad and imbricate, green or purplish on back with broad dorsal hyaline margin, keeled, fused for nearly 1/2 length. Fr. invested by perianth; pericarp easily removed. Seed horizontal, mostly 1.2-1.4 mm diam., circular, compressed; margin obtuse; testa glossy black, very faintly striated.

N.: Auckland, Bay of Plenty; S.: Lincoln.

N. India 1940

Occasional escape from cultivation, also a crop weed.

FL Dec-May.

C. giganteum is related to C. album. C. giganteum is distinguished by its larger lvs and the prominent violet-purple covering of farina on the young lvs and shoots, whereas in C. album the purplish colouring is much less conspicuous. It has also been known as C. amaranticolor.