Flora of New Zealand Series

Kirk's description is: "Glabrous. Stems much branched, terete, flexuous, suberect, 1 ft.-11/2 ft. long. Leaves distant, narrow, oblong-cuneate or oblong-spathulate, acutely toothed or incised above, sessile or very shortly petioled. Racemes terminal. Stamens 4. Pedicels strict, slender, more than twice as long as the pods. Pods ovate, cordate at the base, truncate at the apex, with a broad notch, slightly keeled and winged; style slightly exceeding the notch.― L. oleraceum, A. Rich. Fl. N.Z. 310, t. 35 (not of Forst.).

"SOUTH Island: Queen Charlotte Sound and Astrolabe Harbour, A. Richard, 1.c.

"Var. ovatum. Pods broadly ovate, almost truncated at the base but not cordate; style equalling . the broad notch. SOUTH Island: Pelorus Sound, J. Rutland! Kenepuru, J. McMahon!

"This species is distinguished from L. oleraceum by the emarginate winged pod, and from L. obtusatum by its narrow leaves and the cordate or broadly-ovate pod, which is never narrowed below. The typical form has not been observed of late years: it appears to combine the habit of L. flexicaule with the leaves of L. oleraceum var. acutidentatum."

Thellung (loc. cit.) places under var. ovatum specimens collected by Cockayne on Open Bay Is, Westland. Further study is required; the type of var. ovatum is the Rutland plant in W. Probably best treated as part of the L. oleraceum complex.