Mat-forming perennial of the Rosaceae family, native to New Zealand, where it colonizes short grasslands, screes, and open rocky areas, mainly at altitude, in the subalpine and alpine zones of both islands.
It forms a very dense and tight mat, almost flat, barely exceeding 5 cm in height. Its persistent foliage is one of its most distinctive features: small pinnate leaves, glaucous green to blue-green, slightly leathery, creating a compact mosaic effect on the ground.
The flowers are tiny, grouped in greenish globular heads borne on slender peduncles, with little ornamental interest in themselves. They give way to fruits with short yellowish to greenish spines, less conspicuous than those of other acaenas.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from December to February (austral summer). In cultivation under our latitudes, it blooms in June-July.
Its exceptionally flat habit and glaucous hue make it a valuable ground cover between slabs or on rock gardens, where it contrasts with ordinary green foliage.