Calandrinia ciliata
(Ruiz. & Pav.) DC.Prostrate to ascending annual, stems to c. 30 cm long, simple or few-branched. Leaves basal and on flowering stems, obovate to narrowly rhombic, at least the lower usually petiolate; the largest with lamina 1–5 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, glabrous or with scattered papilliform hairs. Flowers few–several per branch; bracts paired or solitary, some leaf-like; pedicels mostly 1–2 cm long, slightly more in fruit; sepals ovate, 4–8 mm long, acute, glabrous or slightly hairy, persistent; petals 5, 7–12 mm long, purple to red; stamens c. 12; style trifid to c. midway. Capsule ovoid, 6–9 mm long, pale, splitting to base into 3 valves; seeds numerous, nearly circular to elliptic, 1–1.8 mm diam., shining black, virtually smooth. Flowers Sep.–Nov.
MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, Gold, CVU, DunT, NIS, HSF. A troublesome weed of crops and pasture in the late 1800s and early 1900s, chiefly about Ballarat (with scattered records from e.g. Moyston, Ararat, Oxley, Plenty River gorge), but apparently now rather rare in this State, the only recent collections being from Harcourt near Castlemaine and near Linton.
Walsh, N.G. (1996). Portulacaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 215–224. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
