Ruschia tumidula (Haw.) Schwantes

Bushy shrub to 60 cm tall. Stems ascending, glabrous, terete and greyish below, 2-angled and red above. Lvs obscurely papillate, sharply 3-angled, linear, acute to mucronate, scarcely tapered to long connate sheathing lf-base, 30–40 × 2–3 mm, c. 5 mm thick; keel denticulate near apex. Fls 16–20 mm diam. Calyx glabrous; sepals c. 5 mm long. Petals spreading, deep pink, pale at base, with a deep pink to purple median stripe, 7–9 mm long. Stamens 1.5–3 mm long, conically collected with the inner staminodes over the ovary; filaments pink with hairy white bases; anthers pale yellow. Capsule 6 mm diam. Seeds red-brown, asymmetrically obovoid, c. 1 mm long.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Sep.–Dec.; Fruiting: Sep.–Dec.