Flora of New Zealand Series

Tree to c. 10 m high; bark rough and sometimes persistent at base, otherwise trunk smooth and grey. Juvenile lvs opposite for many pairs, sessile, very glaucous, suborbicular to broad-ovate; base cordate; apex obtuse or acute. Adult lvs with petioles 1-2.5 cm long; lamina 4-10 × 1-2.5 cm, oblong-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, subcoriaceous, green or ± glaucous, concolorous; lateral veins diverging at c. 45° to midrib; base symmetric; apex usually acute or mucronate. Fls axillary, in clusters of 3; peduncles 5-10 mm long, flattened; pedicels short. Buds 7-8 mm long, ± clavate, glaucous; operculum hemispheric, much < hypanthium. Stamens white; anthers oblong. Fr. shortly pedicellate, 5-9 × c. 6 mm, cylindric-urceolate, with truncate apex, glaucous; valves 4, deeply sunken; disc narrow, descending.

N.; S.

C. Tasmania 1957

Around gardens and farm shelter belts.

FL Jan-Dec.

E. gunnii is a notably cold-hardy sp. which has been widely planted in cooler parts of N.Z., particularly in E. and S. parts of the South Id where it thrives to about 700 m. It is mainly grown for farm shelter and as an ornamental. In Tasmania it is known as cider gum.