Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: N. "Open downs on the east coast". Type: K, 1545 New Zealand, Colenso.

Small slender glab. herb with branching white subsucculent rhizomes and close-set erect branches up to 5 cm. long; often forming dense mats up to ± 3 m. diam. Lvs ± fleshy, subsessile, (4)-10-15-(20) × (0.5)-2-(4) mm., linear to linear-obovate to spathulate, acute to obtuse. Fls solitary, terminal, very shortly stalked, fragrant; calyx ± 4 mm. long teeth acute; petals ± 7 mm. long, yellowish, connate at middle or sts free teeth acute to acuminate, recurved. Stamens 5, three > others; anthers glab. Ovary 3-lobed, styles 3-fid. Cocci obovoid, smooth, (1)-2-(3) maturing, ± 3 mm. long when mature, pale to dark brown yellow.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland to higher montane damp grassland, flushed and boggy places from lat. 38° southwards, rather local.

FL. 1-2. FT. 12-3.

Hooker (loc. cit.) describes the fls as: "Solitary or few together towards the tops of the stems," and the anthers as "hairy". Specimens with hairy anthers do not appear to have been seen by N.Z. botanists, though herbarium specimens sts show the anthers ± covered by pollen grains. An illustration on a sheet in the type cover at K, however, shows a very distinct covering of hairs.