Stems rather stout, much-branched, creeping, rooting, glab. or with scattered hairs; plants forming dense to rather open patches up to c. 3 dm. diam. Lvs tufted at nodes or alt. Lamina membr., ± flaccid, dull green, glab. or nearly so, broad- to narrow-obovate to spathulate, obtuse, ± 20-30 × 5-9 mm. (but see also description of vars) on slender petioles up to ± 15 mm. long; upper portion crenately toothed, lower portion pinnatifid to pinnatisect; segs 6-8 pairs, subopp., oblong, subacute, entire, or upper margins with a few teeth, lowest segs minute. Scapes axillary, ± pubescent, c. 3 cm. long, nude; receptacle convex. Capitula of ♀ 8-10 mm. diam.; phyll. several in 3-4 series, inturned and concealing florets. Capitula of ♂ 4-7 mm. diam.; phyll. few. in c. 2 series, orbicular-oblong, pubescent, with broad purple scarious margins. Florets eglandular; ♀ subconic, inflated at base, minutely 4-toothed at apex; ♂ funnelform. Achenes obovoid, slightly curved, rounded at back, c. 2 mm. long, glab.

2n = 260

A creeping, fleshy perennial herb. Rhizomes at or near soil surface, green or dark, flexible and ± pilose, becoming pale, wiry and glabrous if buried; branches uncommon, us. single at flowering nodes; leaves in two rows, single at the apex, 0.3-3.0 cm apart. Short shoots alternate on both sides of the rhizome, with up to 5 clustered leaves, rarely converted into rhizomes with distant leaves. Roots us. slender and weak, up to 0.8 mm diam. Leaves very variable in size, shape, and divisions, simple to incised-pinnatifid, occ. pinnatifid, 0.7-12.0 × 0.3-1.5 cm; blade 0.5-7.0 cm, narrowly to broadly obovate or elliptic, fleshy, green, or glaucous, us. without dark pigment, ± glabrous but dotted with sunken glandular hairs, midrib not raised on vertical surface, lobes (pinnae or teeth) 4-12 pairs, distant or the distal ones overlapping, oblong to orbicular; proximal lobes cut to rhachis, sinuses of distal lobes usually not reaching rhachis, sts cut only 1/5 to rhachis at widest part of the leaf; teeth often absent but up to 6 per lobe, on the distal and outer margins, small, triangular, obtuse or rounded, apiculate. Peduncles us. borne on rhizomes, ca. equal to leaves, 1-6 cm, nude or with 1 simple bract, sparsely villous. Us, dioecious, occ. monoecious. Pistillate heads 2-7 mm diam.. up to 10 mm in fruit; surface convex; involucre urceolate; phyllaries 10-30 in 3 or more unequal rows, broadly elliptic, green, glabrous, with a wide, often brown-tipped, scarious margin; inner phyllaries grow after anthesis to enclose subglobose fruiting head; florets 10-80, ca. 2-5 mm long, curved, yellow-green; corolla slightly longer than wide, with unequal teeth. Staminate heads 3-8 mm diam.; involucre hemispherical; phyllaries 5-10 in 1-2 subequal rows, not growing after anthesis; florets slightly more numerous. Bisexual heads predominantly staminate. Achenes up to 1.9 × 1.0 mm, slightly compressed, almost round or irregularly angled, with a pale unwrinkled papery surface turning brown and smooth. Flowers in spring and summer.

Leaves incised-pinnatifid (pinnatifid from Dunedin south), often ± glaucous, very variable in shape and division, narrowly to broadly elliptic or obovate; lobes 4-12 pairs, oblong to suborbicular, often toothed; lowermost sinuses on each side extending to rhachis; base of most proximal lobes ± truncate; terminal lobe not distinctly wider (between sinuses) than lateral lobes. Dioecious, heads on one plant either staminate or pistillate only; inner phyllaries of pistillate heads elongating after anthesis, enclosing fruit. Pollen grains with even spines and walls.

Leaves yellow-green, rhomboid, obovate or elliptic, sts entire but us. incised-pinnatifid with 1-5 triangular entire lobes or teeth on each side; lowermost sinus on each side not usually extending to rhachis; base of blade cuneate; terminal lobe distinctly wider than lateral lobes. Monoecious; heads on each plant a mixture of staminate heads and bisexual heads with us. 1 or 2 but sts up to 5 pistillate florets in 1 incomplete row surrounding 10-30 staminate florets. Pollen grains functional but with walls irregular in thickness and spines lacking or underdeveloped. Chromosome number not known. Figs. 3, 4.

Folia interdum integra sed plerumque incisa-pinnatiflda cum 1-5 triangularibus, integris lobis utrimque; loba terminalis lobis lateralibus maior. Monoica; capitula cum 0-5 femineis flosculis 10-30 masculos flosculos cingentibus.