Prostrate herbs. Stems long, slender, rooting at the nodes, often matted. Leaves orbicular or reniform, deeply cordate or peltate, palrnately toothed or lobed or divided, rarely entire, long-petioled; stipules small, scarious. Umbels simple, small; involu-cral leaves usually inconspicuous or wanting. Flowers small, sometimes unisexual. Calyx-teeth minute or obsolete. Petals entire, valvate or imbricate. Fruit laterally compressed, with a narrow commissure; carpels flat, placed edge to edge, with 1 or more prominent ribs on each face; vittæ wanting. Seed straight, laterally compressed.
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H. elongata,
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 495.—More or less softly pilose, rarely. almost glabrous. Seems 4–12 in. long, very slender, branched, creeping and rooting at the nodes. Leaves ½–1 in. diam., orbicular-reniform, deeply 3–7-lobed; lobes rounded, acutely toothed; petioles slender, 1–3 in. long or more; stipules small. Peduncles very slender, exceeding the leaves; umbels 10–30-flowered. Flowers minute, on slender pedicels. Fruit small, brownish, 1/12 in. diam., more or less pubescent or bristly; carpels with one rib on each face.—
Raoul, Choix, 46;
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 84;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 85;
Kirk, Students Fl. 187. H. concinna,
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 239. H. echinella,
Col. l.c. xx. (1888) 191.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon from the North Cape south-wards. Sea-level to 2000 ft. November–March.
A very distinct plant, easily recognised by the large size, softly pilose habit, deeply lobed leaves, long peduncles, and pedicelled flowers.
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H. tripartita,
R. Br. ex A. Rich. Hydrocot. 69, t. 61, f. 25. —Usually densely matted, dark-green, smooch and shining, glabrous or nearly so. Stems branched, filiform, creeping and rooting at the nodes, 1–4 in. long. Leaves coriaceous or fleshy, ¼–½ in. diam., 3–5-partite to the base; leaflets cuneate, 2–3-toothed or -lobed at the: tip or quite entire; petioles ½–2 in. long; stipules rather large, entire. Peduncles slender, shorter than the leaves; umbels 2–6-flowered. Flowers small, shortly pedicelled or sessile. Fruit small, rather turgid, brownish, glabrous. Carpels rounded at the back, convex on the sides, with one obscure rib on each face.—
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 83;
Benth. Fl. Austral. iii. 341;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 188. H. muscosa,
R. Br. ex A. Rich. l.c. 68, t. 61, f. 27;
Hook f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86.
Var. hydrophila.—Much smaller and more delicate; stems ½–1 in. long. Leaves ⅙–⅕ in. diam.; leaflets minute, entire or with 2–3 shallow crenatures. Umbels 1–2-flowered. Fruit much smaller, but otherwise as in the type.— H. hydrophila,
Peine in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxix. (1897) 425.
North Island: Hawke's Bay and Tongariro,
Colenso! Var.
hydrophila: Lower Waikato River,
Carse! Matata (Bay of Plenty),
Petrie!
South Island, Stewart Island: Not uncommon in marshy places. Var.
hydrophila: Otago — Tomahawk Lagoon,
Petrie! Wickliffe Bay, Bluff,
B. C. Aston!
The trifoliolate leaves at once separate this from all the other New Zealand; species. Mr. Petrie's
H. hydrophila has no distinguishing characters apart from its much smaller size. The typical form is also found in Australia and Tasmania.
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H. dissecta,
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 84. — Small, slender, matted, more or less hispid-pilose. Stems much branched, creeping and rooting, 3–9 in. long. Leaves alternate or in alternate fascicles, ⅓–1 in. diam., orbicular or orbicular-reniform, 3–7-lobed almost to the base; lobes obovate-cuneate, acutely toothed or almost laciniate, hairy on both surfaces; petiole ½–1½ in. long. Peduncles variable in length, ½–2 in. long, longer or shorter than the leaves; umbels 20–40-flowered. Flowers small, sessile. Fruit densely crowded, small, red-brown, glabrous; carpels somewhat, turgid, with
one obtuse rib on each face; margins acute.—
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 188.
North Island: Near Maunganui Bluff,
Petrie! Northern Wairoa,
T. F. C.;: Whangarei,
Carse! Petrie! T.F.C.; Matakana,
Kirk! Hunua,
Kirk! T.F.C.; Lower Waikato,
Carse! Hawke's Bay,
Colenso.
South Island: Marlborough,
Macmahon! near Westport,
Tounson! Otira Valley and Oatlin's River,
Petrie!' Sea-level to 1200 ft. November–February.
A well-marked plant, perhaps more closely allied to
H. moschata than to any other, but differing widely in the deeply and sharply lobed leaves. Mr. Carse sends a form with proliferous umbels.
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H. americana,
Linn. Sp. Plant. 234.—Small, very slender, matted, pale-green and glistening, glabrous or with a few loose hairs on the petioles. Stems 3–6 in. long, filiform, much branched. Leaves very delicate and membranous, ¼–¾ in. diam., orbicular-reniform, 5–7-lobed; lobes shallow, crenate; petioles ½–1½ in. long; stipules small. Umbels small, 3–6-flowered, sessile in the axils of the leaves or very shortly peduncled. Flowers sessile or nearly so. Fruit minute, pale yellowish-brown, glabrous, or one or both carpels-more or less hispid; carpels with one rib on each face, margins-acute.—
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 82;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 85;
Kirk,. Students' Fl. 187.
Var. heteromeria,
Kirk, l.c. 188.—Rather larger. Leaves ½–1 in. diam.; petioles often 2 in. long. Umbels usually shortly peduncled; peduncles sometimes half the length of the petioles. Fruit as in the type.—H. heteromeria,
A. Rich. Hydrocot. 200;
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 499;
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 82;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86. H. nitens,
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiii. (1891) 386.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon from the North Cape southwards. Sea-level to 2000 ft. October–February. The typical form is also found in North and South America.
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H. pterocarpa,
F. Muell. in Trans. Vict. Inst. i. (1855) 126. — Smooth, often shining, perfectly glabrous or sparingly pilose. Stems slender, 6–14 in. long, branched, creeping and rooting. Leaves ½–1 in. diam., orbicular-reniform with a narrow or closed sinus, very thin and membranous, obscurely 3–7-lobed; lobes
crenate; petioles slender, 1–4 in. long. Peduncles rather slender, shorter than the leaves; umbels 3–8-flowered. Flowers shortly pedicelled or almost sessile. Fruit large, flat, broader than long, notched above and below, often mottled; carpels with one rib on each face, and with the dorsal edge expanded into a broad wing.—
Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. i. 153, t. 33;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 188.
North and South Islands: In lowland swamps from Mongonui to North Canterbury, but often local. December–February. Also in Victoria and Tasmania.
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H. novæ-zealandiæ,
D.C. Prodr. iv. 67.—Very variable in size and habit of growth. Stems 3–12 in. long, much or sparingly branched, open or matted, creeping and rooting at the nodes, sometimes ascending at the tips, pilose or almost glabrous. Leaves ¼–1¼ in. diam., orbicular-reniform with usually an open sinus, obscurely 5–9-lobed or -angled; lobes shallow, obscurely and obtusely crenate, rarely more acutely toothed, usually membranous but sometimes subcoriaceous, sparingly hairy or nearly glabrous; petioles ½–3 in. long, slender, usually pilose with reversed hairs-above. Peduncles shorter than the leaves; umbels 5–12-flowered. Flowers shortly pedicelled. Fruit 1/12 in. diam., broader than long, somewhat flattened, glabrous, pale-brown, sometimes mottled; carpels rounded at the back, with an indistinct rib or groove on each face.—
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 497;
Raoul, Choix, 46;
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 83;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 189. H. dichondrsefolia,
A. Cunn. l.c. n. 498. H. intermixta,
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 240. H. alsophila,
Col. l.c. xviii. (1886) 261. H. invoiucrata,
Col. I.c. xix. (1887) 262. H. amœna,
Col. l.c. xxi. (1889) 83.
Var.
robusta. —Stems stout, suberect above. Fruit large, ⅛ in. broad, turgid; carpels with a groove on each face.—H. robusta,
Kirk, Students' Fl. 189.
Var.
montana,
Kirk, l.c. —Stems stout, creeping, densely matted. Leaves-usually with a narrow sinus, coriaceous, glabrous or nearly so, lobes shallow. Carpels with a groove on each face.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Abundant throughout, var.
montana ascending to quite 4,000 ft. Var.
robusta: Sandy beaches north of Auckland, rare. November–March.
A very vaiiable plant, but one that can generally be recognised without much difficulty by the shallow and rounded lobes of the leaves, and by the compressed fruits with thick obtuse margins. I am unable to maintain Mr. Kirk's
H. robusta as a separate species, the differences between it and the typical state being of a very trivial character. Closely allied to it is a large-leaved species gathered by Mr. Cockayne in forests in the Chatham Islands, in which the leaves are sometimes 2 in. diam.
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H. moschata,
Forst. Prodr. n. 135.—More or less hispid or pilose, rarely almost glabrous. Stems 2–12 in. long, much branched, often densely matted, creeping and rooting at the nodes. Leaves ⅙–1 in. diam., reniform or orbicular with usually an open sinus,
distinctly 5–7-lobed; lobes sharply toothed, usually hispid on both surfaces but sometimes glabrescent, firm or almost coriaceous; petioles rather stout, ⅙–2 in. long, usually pilose above with reversed hairs. Peduncles longer or shorter than the leaves; umbels 5–40-flowered. Flowers sessile or nearly so. Fruits usually densely crowded, minute, 1/20–1/15 in. diam., red-brown; carpels acute at the back, with an acute keel or ridge on each face.—
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 501;
Raoul, Choix, 46;
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 83;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 87;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 189. H. sibthorpioides,
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxi. (1889) 83.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout, ascending to 2000 ft. November–March.
Closely allied to
H. novœ-zealandiœ, but separated by the distinctly lobed leaves, by the lobes being acutely toothed, and by the much smaller crowded fruits, which are sharply keeled on the back.
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H. microphylla,
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 496.—Glabrous or with a few loose hairs on the petioles and peduncles. Stems 1–3 in. long, slender or rather stout at the base, creeping and rooting, often matted. Leaves 1/10–⅓ in. diam., orbicular-reniform with usually a closed or narrow sinus, 5–7-lobed; lobes shallow, rounded, obtusely crenate; petiole ⅕–½ in. long; stipules rather large for the size of the plant. Peduncles variable in length, longer or shorter than the leaves; umbels 2–6- flowered. Flowers sessile or nearly so. Fruit minute, glabrous, 1/20–1/15 in. diam.; carpels rounded at the back, with an obscure rib or groove on each face.—
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 84;
Handb. N.Z. Fl 87;
Kirk, Students' Fl. 190.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Mongonui southwards, but apparently local. December–February.
Cunningham's original description is not at all good, and without access to his specimens I cannot be certain that the plant described above is the same as his. It differs from
H. novœ-zealandiœ in the smaller size, glabrous and more deeply divided leaves, few-flowered umbels, and smaller fruit. From
H. moschata it is at once removed by the round-edged carpels.
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H. asiatica,
Linn. Sp. Plant. 234.—Very variable in size. Stems rather stout, much branched, creeping and rooting at the nodes. Leaves fascicled at the nodes, ¼–1 in. diam., orbicular or oblong-reniform, cordate or almost truncate at the base, sinuate-toothed or nearly entire, glabrous or slightly pubescent; petioles very variable in length, ½–6_ in. or more, often laxly pubescent above. Peduncles short, ¼–1 in. long, rarely more; umbels 2–4-flowered; bracts 2–3, broad, ovate. Fruit ⅛–⅙ in. diam.; carpels with about 3 stout ribs on each face, but often showing the secondary ribs when young, somewhat reticulated, margins obtuse. —
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 502;
Raoul, Choix, 46;
Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel.
i. 82;
Handb. N.Z. Fl. 86;
Benth. Fl. Austral. iii. 346;
Kirk, Students' Fl 190. H. cordifolia,
Hook. f. Ic. Plant, t. 303. H. uniflora,
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 239.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in moist places from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards, ascending to 2500 ft. October–March. Also in most tropical and subtropical countries.
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