Flora of New Zealand Series

Spreading, evergreen shrub up to 1-3 m high (occasionally taller in cultivation); stems erect at first, then arching; young shoots buff-tomentose but later becoming glabrous and dark reddish purple. Lvs mostly distributed along young long shoots, often clustered on short shoots; petiole 2-7 mm long; blade elliptic, broad-elliptic or occasionally obovate, (20)-30-70 × (12)-15-37 mm, subcoriaceous, obtuse to rounded with a short mucro, cuneate at base, ± dull and glabrous with scarcely impressed veins above, pale buff to white-tomentose below when young but becoming glabrate and pale green or glaucescent; margins flat; stipules narrowly linear-lanceolate or linear-subulate, ± floccose at first, usually becoming glabrous or glabrate. Fls (5)-15-60, in flat corymbs distributed along upper part of branches; peduncles < diam. of corymbs, purplish, buff-tomentose, sometimes becoming glabrate. Sepals 1-1.8 mm long, triangular, pale tomentose, acute to short-acuminate. Petals ± patent, 2-3 mm diam., orbicular, white. Fr. subglobose to broadly turbinate, 4-7-(8) mm diam., scarlet or orange-red, glossy.

N.: N. Auckland (scattered throughout), Auckland, S. Auckland (Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Mt Tarawera), Wellington (Manawatu); S.: Nelson (Westport), Westland (Punakaiki), Canterbury (Christchurch, Banks Peninsula).

China 1982

Wasteland, scrub in gullies, also a garden weed.

FL Oct-Jan FT Feb-Aug.

C. glaucophyllus is a common escape from cultivation, particularly in warmer areas. The plants do not vary greatly and probably can all be referred to f. serotinus (Hutch.) Stapf, supposedly distinguished from the type by the greater persistence of the whitish or pale buff tomentum on shoots, lvs and infls, as well as by the later fls and smaller frs. Also the mature lf undersurface is said to be glaucous in f. glaucophyllus and green in f. serotinus, but in N.Z. many plants are intermediate in this respect.

In N.Z. this sp. has been confused with C. lacteus but the lf characters given in the key should readily distinguish them. C. glaucophyllus is less showy than C. lacteus, mainly because of the smaller corymbs with fewer fls and frs.

The record of C. harrovianus E. Wilson  (Given 1982) is based on a specimen which is almost certainly C. glaucophyllus. Records of C. harrovianus and C. parneyi in N.Z. horticultural literature apparently refer to either C. glaucophyllus or C. lacteus.