Slender tree up to ± 10 m. tall, glab. or nearly so, except young parts and infl. Juvenile plant a small bushy shrub with very slender flexible ± interlacing branchlets; lvs rather distant, often fascicled, on very slender petioles, ± 1-2 mm. long; lamina (2)-4-8 × 4-7 mm., broad-obovate to suborbicular, cuneately narrowed to base, dentate along upper margin. Adult with lvs on petioles ± 5 mm. long; lamina (including teeth) ± 2-3 × 0·5-1 cm.; narrow, obovate to oblanceolate to oblong to lanceolate, obtuse to acute; coarsely rather distantly spinulose dentate-serrate; teeth up to ± 2 mm. long. The different lf-forms may all occur on the same plant. Fls solitary or occ. in 2-5-fld cymose fascicles on very slender stellate-pubescent pedicels ± 10 mm. long. Calyx densely pubescent, campanulate, c. 3 mm. long, (3)-5-fid; teeth broad-triangular. Petals ± 7 mm. long, white, obliquely narrow-oblong, notched. Stigma capitate. Anthers reniform. Carpels and styles 5. Mature carpels ± 8 mm. long, including very broad wing.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland forests, especially marginal, sts forming groves, from lat. 39° southwards.

Type locality: "Akaroa, in locis umbrosis". Type: P, Raoul. A portion is in K.

Raoul's plate (Choix, 1846, t. 26) excellently shows the common South Island form of this somewhat polymorphic and highly heteroblastic sp. Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 72) thus describes his var. acutifolia: "Leaves on mature plants usually soft, linear-lanceolate, accuminate, 1 in.-11/2 in. long, with strong spinulose teeth; petioles very short. Pedicels very slender.-T. Kirk, Forest Fl. N.Z. t. 55, f. 1 and 2." Fig. 1 shows a flowering branch with all the lvs acute to acuminate; fig. 2 shows a branched piece with juvenile lvs.