Solenogyne christensenii

Detailed description

Small perennial rhizomatous tufted herb up to 30 mm tall × 50 mm across; roots and rhizomes fibrous; stem very short (leaves in basal rosette); leaves and scapes firmly attached to stem and/or rootstock. Leaves 15–25, oblanceolate, obdeltoid to cuneate, 10–20–(25) × 5–8 mm (10–5× longer than wide), with a winged petiole-like base 8–10 mm long; leaf apex tridentate; leaf margins serrated (rarely repand-sinuate), usually with 4–6 teeth either side, each lobe 0.5–1.0 mm long; adaxial leaf surface glossy, initially green, maturing bronze-green or brown mottled, or maroon-brown; adaxial surface pilose, hairs patent eglandular, 0.3–1.8 mm long, 3–8 per square mm; abaxial leaf surface pale glossy green, ± glabrescent; hairs present on young leaves, unevenly shedding with leaf maturation, eglandular, pubescent, ± appressed, 0.4–0.8 mm long, 0–2 per square mm, hairs; both leaf surfaces papillate, papillae c. 0.01 mm long, more or less evenly distributed; leaf margins pilose, hairs eglandular patent 3‒4 per square mm, 0.2–1.0 mm long; lateral veins slightly raised and usually visible adaxially, obscure abaxially. Scapes terete and smooth on fresh specimens, channelled on dry ones, 4–8 per tuft, each 5–20 mm long at anthesis, 10–30 mm long at fruiting stage, 1.5–2.5 mm diameter throughout; scape bracts 0, or occasionally furnished with 1, ovate to orbicular, chartaceous c.1.5 × 0.4 mm bract; scape indumentum including eglandular hairs 0.3–1.0 mm long, patent, spreading or mixed weakly appressed / retrorse; 1–6 hairs per mm2; and papillae to c.0.01 mm long, scattered throughout the scape. Capitula 1.8–2.2 mm long, 2.8–3.0 mm diameter; involucral bracts 18–22 in 2 rows, glabrous or occasionally papillate along midrib on outer surface, ovate to broadly oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, margins pink, ciliate in upper distal ½–¾; outer bracts 1.2–1.6 × 1.0–1.6 mm, inner bracts 1.1–1.2 × 0.9–1.0 mm. Receptacle flat to slightly convex, 0.8–1.2 mm diameter. Ray florets tubular, creamy to pale pink, 18–20 in 2–3 rows; tube 0.4–0.7 mm long, 0.1–0.12 mm wide; style 0.5–0.8; stigma 2-branched c.0.02 mm long. Disc florets 0–3; corolla pale yellow, tubular, c.1 mm long, outer surface glabrous; corolla lobes 5, deltate, c. 0.1 × 0.1 mm; stamens 5, to c. 0.4 mm long; style c. 0.6 mm long; sterile ovary c. 0.3 mm long. Achenes glabrous, more or less flattened, narrowly obovoid, straight or slightly curved, 0.9–1.1 mm long by 0.3–0.5 mm wide excluding beak, uniformly yellow green, darkening to brown at maturity; achene edges smooth; achene beak 0.1–0.2 mm long, without obvious annular collar at its apex, c. 0.1 mm diameter.