membranous. Petals 5–8, spathulate, with a single gland near the middle. Achenes forming a small rounded head ⅓ in. diam., turgid, glabrous; style short, subulate, straight or nearly so.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 631; Raoul, Choix de Plantes, 47; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 4, t. 2; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 11; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 8; A. Gray, Bot. U.S. Exped. 7; Kirk, Students' Fl. 18. R. stenopetalus. Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 677.
North, South, and Stewart Islands: Sandy beaches and muddy shores, not uncommon. Auckland Islands: Hooker, &c. Chatham Islands: Buchanan. Only known inland on the shores of Lakes Rotorua, Tarawera, and Taupo. September–November. Also found in southern Chili.
A distinct little species, easily recognised by its creeping and matted habit, trifoliolate leaves with nearly entire leaflets, short scapes, and spathulate petals. Mr. Colenso's herbarium contains no specimens of his R. uniflorus (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1896) 267). The description agrees with R. acaulis in most points, but the plant is said not to be stoloniferous, and to possess a sheathing bract on the upper part of the scape.
35. R. crassipes, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. ii. 224, t. 81.—Smooth, glabrous, succulent, stems creeping and rooting at the nodes. Leaves on petioles 1–4 in. long; blade cordate-reniform in outline, ⅓–1 in. diam. or more, 3-lobed or 3-partite; segments variable in shape, broad or narrow, cuneate at the base, deeply and irregularly toothed. Peduncles axillary, stout, erect, shorter than the leaves. Flowers small, ¼–⅓ in. diam. Sepals 4–5, ovate, obtuse, membranous. Petals the same number, slightly longer than the sepals, obovate-spathulate, with a gland a little below the middle. Achenes forming a rounded head ⅓ in. diam., broadly ovate, turgid; style short, straight.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 17.
Macquarie Island: A. Hamilton! Also found in Kerguelen's Island.
The closely allied R. biternatus, Smith, from Fuegia, the Falkland Islands, and Marion Island, may possibly occur in Macquarie Island or the Auckland Islands. It can be recognised at once by its biternate leaves.
36. R. Limosella, F. Muell. ex Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iii. (1871) 177.—Small, slender, perfectly glabrous. Stems filiform, creeping and rooting at the nodes, often forming matted patches. Leaves solitary or in tufts of 2–3 at the nodes, ½-3 in. long, very narrow linear, usually dilated at the tip and subspathulate, obtuse, nerveless. Peduncles filiform, axillary, solitary, much shorter than the leaves. Flowers minute, 15 in. diam. Sepals 4, rounded-ovate, membranous. Petals 4, much longer than the sepals, narrow-linear, revolute at the tip; gland some little distance above the base. Achenes 8–12, rounded, somewhat turgid; style long, slender, recurved.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 19. R. limoselloides, F. Muell. ex Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 1081.
