Flora of New Zealand Series

Prostrate to procumbent, much-branched, densely white or greyish farinose, short-lived perennial herb, sometimes mat-forming. Stems slightly woody at base, terete, slender but wiry. Petioles 0-1.5-(3) mm long; lamina 1-10 × 0.8-6 mm, orbicular to broad-elliptic, broad-ovate or obovate, entire; base subcordate to rounded or broad-cuneate. Fls axillary, solitary or in glomerules of 2-10. ♂ fls: mostly near branch apices; perianth 1-1.5 mm long, whitish or greyish; segments c. 1/2 length of tube. ♀ fls: c. 1 mm long. Fruiting bracteoles rhombic-triangular, dentate. Fr. c. 1 mm diam., circular or nearly so; pericarp easily removed. Testa brownish green.

N.: Cook Strait area; S.: E. areas from Marlborough Sounds to Southland, and C. Otago; St.: N. coast and islets of Foveaux Strait.

Endemic.

Sandy and rocky coastal, and saline areas.

FL Dec-Feb.

Var. tenuicaulis Petrie, accepted by Allan (1961), is not considered distinct.