×Carpophyma pallida Sykes & Heenan

Stem prostrate, obtusely 2-angled, rooting at nodes, 4–7 mm in diam., smooth. Internodes 20–40 mm long. Leaves up to 40–60 mm long, ventral side 4–8 mm wide, light green, opposite, triquetrous, connate towards base, clasping stem, margins entire or sometimes weakly denticulate near apex, tip acute and often mucronate, dorsal keel well developed. Flower (40–)50–60 mm in diam. Pedicel 10–15 mm long, subterete to slightly angular, smooth. Calyx-tube obconical, smooth, 9–18 mm in diam. below sepals, obtusely 2-angled; sepals 5, 2 distinctly longer, 12–22 mm long, opposite, leaflike, sometimes with minute teeth near apex, 3 smaller ones with whitish membranous margins and a reduced fleshy portion. Petals 3–5-seriate, 15–25 mm long, 1.8–2.6 mm wide towards apex, linear to linear–oblanceolate, initially pink-mauve, ageing to purple-pink to mauve-pink, lower third white; apex obtuse, bifid or unevenly toothed. Stamens 3–5-seriate, numerous; filaments 4–5 mm long, white, clad in dense moniliform hairs towards base, except in the outermost row. Anthers 1.2–1.4 mm long, pale yellow, pollen stainability 0%. Styles 6–10, plumose, subulate, stigmatic to base on adaxial side, orange on adaxial side. Ovary 10–13 mm deep, mucilage abundant, top flat or shallowly convex. Nectary ring 1.5–2.0 mm high, green, crenulate. Fruit not developed.

[Reproduced from Heenan & Sykes (2010, New Zealand J. Bot. 48: 225–230) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]