Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Paterson's Inlet. Type: W, Petrie.

Slender herb up to 15 cm. tall, very sparsely clad in long soft hairs; stock stout, with ∞ fleshy roots. Lvs mainly or all radical, on petioles (2.5)-5-7·5 cm. long; sheath membr. Lamina variously cut, (a) 3-foliolate, (b) 3-lobed, (c) 1-2-lobed to entire; Iflts or lobes round-ovate, Cauline lvs or bracts spathulate-oblong, petioles slender. Scape simple or with 1-2 branches. Fls small; sepals 5, lanceolate to narrow-oblong; petals 5, yellow, narrow-oblong, rounded at apex, clawed at base; gland 1 just above claw. Achenes few, slightly compressed, margins thickened; style subulate, hooked at tip.

DIST.: St. Damp and swampy ground.

FL. 1. FT. 1.

A very imperfectly known sp. Petrie (T.N.Z.I. 31, 1899, 352, t. 25) published an illustration by Buchanan, and said, "The habit of the plant as here shown is not quite characteristic".

Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 447) said of the same figure, "not characteristic of any specimens I have seen". The illustration, however, and the specimens, now at K, have a close resemblance to my R. petriei.