It is not rare. It is just quiet. Native rotala is a small, erect herb with pairs of narrow leaves. They are edible and have a mild flavour. They can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a green vegetable. The small, pink flowers appear in summer. It grows in damp, open areas and wetlands throughout New Zealand. It is a native relative of aquatic rotala species. A plant of the wet edge. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. They are narrow and lance-shaped. They are bright green with a smooth surface. The stems are erect and branching. They form small, bushy clumps. It is a modest plant. Easy to overlook. The flowers are small and pink. They have four or five petals. They appear in summer and are followed by small, capsule-like fruits containing the seeds. Insects pollinate the flowers. A small pink dot in the green of the wetland. Native rotala is a plant of wetlands and damp places. It grows on stream banks, lake margins, and in damp grassland. It tolerates seasonal flooding but cannot survive prolonged drought. A plant that needs water, but not too much. To find native rotala is to walk the edges of wetlands and streams. Look for the small, pink flowers. Look for the pairs of narrow leaves. It is a plant of the wet places. A green vegetable from the water’s edge. A handful of leaves can add a mild flavour to a salad. A small harvest from a small plant. In the wetlands, where the raupo grows tall and the pukeko calls, the native rotala grows low and quiet. The pink flowers open in summer. The insects visit. The seeds fall. The water rises and falls. And the rotala keeps growing, low and quiet, at the edge of the water. It does not need to be noticed. It just needs the ground to stay damp. In Māori tradition, native rotala was used as a green vegetable. The leaves were eaten fresh or cooked. The plant was also used medicinally. The ability to grow in wetlands was noted. It was known as a sign of healthy, damp soils. It was a plant of the wetlands. It was gathered by those who knew the water’s edge. A mild green from the damp places. A sign of clean water and healthy streams. Populations are considered stable but localised. The species is common in wetlands throughout New Zealand. It is threatened by habitat loss and water pollution. Protection of wetlands is important.