Flora of New Zealand Series

Creeping herb, forming small mats up to 25 cm diam., sometimes forming dense turf; indumentum of glandular, ascending or, more commonly, spreading hairs (sometimes mixed), occasionally also with scattered appressed hairs, very sparse on stems and generally in lines decurrent from petiole margins, usually confined to new growth. Lamina of lf usually oblong to ovate or obovate, occasionally suborbicular, 0.15-1.2 × 0.1-0.5 cm, rugose above. Floral tube 0.6-3 mm deep, sparsely to densely hairy. Petals white, 2.9-8 × 1.4-5.8 mm. Capsules often finely torulose, sparsely to densely hairy, 0.7-1.3-(1.6) cm long; fruiting pedicels 0.7-5.0-(8) cm long.

S.: E. of the Main Divide, from near Lake Sarah (Cass, Canterbury) to Lake Manapouri (Southland).

Endemic.

Locally abundant about lakes and tarns, kettleholes and other seasonally inundated hollows of glacial origin in tussock grassland, 180-820 m.

FL Nov-Apr.

This sp. was treated by Allan (1961) as E. nerterioides Cunn.   var. angustum (Cheeseman) Cheeseman.

The seeds of E. angustum have a distinctly swollen ventral surface which distinguishes them from those of all other endemic spp. of the genus in N.Z.