Montia sessiliflora (G.Simpson) Heenan

Herb, up to 80 cm diam., forming loose to compact mats, sometimes up to several metres across, often intertwined with other herbs. Leaves up to 40 × 4(—7 .2) mm, spathulate; lamina narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic; adaxial and abaxial surfaces green, base of lamina and peti - ole often mottled, usually dull; adaxial surface ± flat to slightly concave; abaxial surface ± flat to slightly convex; apex subacute to obtuse; base attenuate; petiole distinct to indistinct, when indistinct grading into lamina base; old leaves yellow. Involucral leaves 1.8—2.7 × 2.7—3.5 mm, green; usually with a lateral fold; apex obtuse. Flowers 10.0—20.0 mm diam. Tepals 5.0—10.0 × 2.6—6.0 mm, broadly elliptic to obovate, white, not overlapping; apex obtuse, almost always with a conspicuous notch; claw differentiated. Nectary orange. Filaments 3.9—7.4 mm long, > ½ tepal length, white. Anthers 0.8—1.0 × c. 0.3 mm, pink to pink-red. Ovary 0.9—1.8 × 0.8— 1.4 mm, obovoid, green; sutures not prominent. Style 2.5—4.2 mm long; rarely slightly bulbous at base, white with base flushed green. Stigmatic branches 1.4—2.0 mm long, white, straight prior to spreading. Capsule 2.3—2.7 × 1.9—2.5 mm. Seeds 1.3—1.5 × 1.1—1.4 mm, slightly to moderately rugose, dark brown to black. FL Nov—Feb; FT Dec—Mar.

[Reproduced from Heenan (1999, New Zealand J. Bot. 37: 213-234, as Neopaxia sessiliflora (G.Simpson) Heenan) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]