Flora of New Zealand Series

Spreading, evergreen shrub usually 1.5-3 m high (to c. 4 m in cultivation); stems often arching; young shoots buff-tomentose, later becoming glabrous and dark purplish. Lvs spaced along stems of long shoots but often clustered on short shoots; petiole 3-10 mm long; blade elliptic to obovate, (25)-30-80 × (12)-15-43 mm, coriaceous, mucronate or mucronulate, cuneate at base, slightly shining and with deeply impressed veins giving a rugose appearance above, greyish or whitish tomentose beneath, often becoming greyish green at maturity but hairs mostly persistent; margins usually somewhat revolute; stipules linear-lanceolate, white-floccose. Fls (10)-20-80, in flattish corymbs distributed along upper part of branches; peduncles < diam. of corymbs, tomentose, brownish purple beneath. Sepals 1-1.5 mm long, triangular, pale tomentose, acuminate. Petals ± patent, 2-3 mm diam., ± orbicular, white. Fr. broadly turbinate or subglobose, 5-8 mm diam., glossy orange-red or scarlet-red.

N.: Auckland, Wellington; S.: Christchurch area.

Yunnan 1988

Cemetery and garden surrounds, scrub, also a garden weed.

FL Nov-Jan FT Feb-Aug.

This sp. is related to the common C. glaucophyllus. Although C. lacteus is apparently uncommon in the wild, it is commoner than C. glaucophyllus in cultivation and is a more attractive plant with its more striking and glossier lvs, as well as its larger corymbs of frs.