Curnow’s Curse

This pretty little flower is Calandrinia menziesii, Curnow’s curse. It is a native of NW America and was naturalised here as a weed in 1883. I found it on the roadside in the Waianiwaniwa Valley, where I went looking for a nice landscape shot. I should have remembered that in spring the valley is all saturated greens that turn out so lurid in a photograph.

I can’t recall seeing this flower before, but if it is somebody’s curse it must be a troublesome weed somewhere. I have not been able to find out about Curnow.