Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Dry woods on the shores of the Bay of Islands, Wangaroa, &c.". Type: BM, "1833, R. Cunningham".

Slender sparingly- to much-branched shrub up to ± 2 m. tall; branches and main stem so slender that they often become reclinate and rooting; branchlets very slender, ± pilose when young. Lvs in rather distant to approximate whorls or crowded towards the branchlet tips. Lvs of adult plants 2-5 cm. × 3-5 mm., narrow-lanceolate, apiculate. Infl. terminal; umbels of functionally ♂ 5-10-fld, of functionally ♀ solitary, paired or in threes. Pedicels almost filiform, c. 1 cm. long; sepals 3-5 mm. long, narrow linear-lanceolate to subulate, acuminate; petals 7-10 mm. long, narrow- to linear-lanceolate, acuminate, dark red with pale margins to pale red or cream. Capsules ovoid, narrowed to acute beak-like apex, 1-1·5 cm. long.

DIST.: N. On ridges often with Agathis australis and Phyllocladus trichomanoides; sts by streamsides: recorded from several localities in the Bay of Islands and Mangonui counties; now apparently extinct in some.

FL. 3-5. FT. us. following year.

Var. reflexum (R. Cunn.) Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1852, 24. P. reflexum R. Cunn. in A. Cunn. in Ann. nat. Hist. 4, 1840, 108. P. radicans R. Cunn. in A. Cunn. in Ann. nat. Hist. 4, 1840, 108. P. pimeleoides subsp. reflexum (R. Cunn.) Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 4, 1872, 263. Lvs mostly alt., very narrow-linear, acute to acuminate, apiculate, sts falcate, c. 8-15 × 1-2 mm., sepals 4-5 mm. long or more; petals c. 5-7 mm. long, dark red with pale margins. Capsules 5-10 mm. long. Dist. As for sp. Type locality: "thickets on the slopes of hills at Wangaroa etc." Type: BM, "1833, R. Cunningham".

A complex of ill-defined forms is at present included under this varietal epithet.

P. gilliesianum Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 1, 1869, 143 was reduced by him in T.N.Z.I. 4, 1872, 264 to a var. of his subsp. reflexum; "very slender, leaves crowded, linear-lanceolate, acute, capsule conical, tips of valves straight." The type sheet in W shows 2 branches: (a) with lvs 1-3 cm. × 1-2 mm., linear-lanceolate, acute, apiculate; capsules immature; (b) with lvs 1-2 cm. × 1 mm., narrow linear-lanceolate, acute, apiculate; capsules solitary, c. 1 cm. long. It is possibly a hybrid between var. pimeleoides and var. reflexum. P. crenulatum Putt. Syn. Pitt. 1839, 15 appears to be a form of var. pimeleoides with obscurely crenulate lvs. Such lvs are occ., but I have not seen a specimen with most of the lvs crenulate.