Gunnera hamiltonii

Detailed description

Creeping, stoloniferous, dioecious herb herb forming compact. Stolons buried close to surface, fleshy, succulent, up to 4 m long, 3—5 mm diameter, internodes 5—8 mm long, exposed parts red or red—green, clad in wispy hairs. Leaves in compact, tight, overlapping rosettes; petioles stout, winged 20—50 x 2—4 mm widening toward amplexicaul leaf base, lamina succulent, coriaceous, 20—30 x 10—25 mm, deltoid, rhomboid to broadly—ovate, apex sub-acute to acute, cuneately narrowed to base or truncate margins crenulate, teeth oblong, obtuse, 1.0—1.4 mm, slate grey, dark grey—green or reddish grey, glabrate to glabrous. Inflorescence an ebracteate, erect, fleshy, stout, spike located within leaf axils: male flowers 10—40 (or more) on a spike up to 30 mm tall, sessile; calyx lobes 2—3, often rudimentary, lobes 0.1—0.2 x 0.08—0.1 mm equal, valvate, deltate, entire, glabrous; sepals much reduced or absent, 0.3—0.4 x 0.2—0.3 mm, oblong, glabrous, caducous, petals similar; stamens 1—2, subsessile, anthers yellow; female flowers initially obscured within foliage, densely packed on spike, calyx, sepals and petals absent or rudimentary, as for ¡á, ovary 0.3—0.5 x 0.1—0.2 mm, urceolate, greenish-white, hyaline, glabrous, styles 2 prominent, suberect, 1.0—1.5 mm, falcate-flexuous, subulate-filiform; stigmas papillate . Fruiting spike erect, 10—35 mm long; drupes widely spaced, fleshy, pendulous, 3 mm, clavate. Endocarp 2.8—2.9 mm, broadly obovate, dull yellow or pale brown red.