Flora of New Zealand Series

Ribbonwood.

Type locality: "on the banks of the Kana-Kana river, near its head." Type: K, No. 605, R. Cunningham, 1834.

Heteroblastic, subdioec. tree up to c. 15 m. tall; trunk up to c. 1 m. diam.; lvs deciduous. Juvenile plant a bush up to c. 2 m. tall, densely branched, with slender ± interlacing zigzag branchlets. Indumentum stellate. Lvs rather distant, on petioles ± 5 mm. long; lamina ± 5-15-(20) × 3-10-(15) mm., broad-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, crenate-serrate, sts deeply irregularly lobed. Plant changing gradually to semi-adult flowering stage; with larger lvs. Adult plant (often showing shoots reverting to juvenile state) with lvs on petioles up to 3 cm. long; lamina (10)-30-75 × 5-50 mm., membr.; ovate to ovate-lanceolate, or broad-ovate, acuminate, coarsely and irregularly crenate-serrate, cuneately or truncately narrowed to base. Subfloral lvs ± 3-10 × 1-5 mm., or lower ones larger. Fls ± 3-4 mm. diam., mostly unisexual, occ. perfect, ∞, in decompound paniculate cymes up to 25 cm. long; pedicels very slender, ± 5 mm. long. Calyx campanulate, ± 2 mm. long, with 5 narrow-triangular teeth; petals white, spathulate-oblong, clawed. ♂ with exserted staminal column; anthers red, ± 12, sts ∞, subsessile on column, style aborted, included in column. ♀ with ripe carpels c. 3-5 mm. long, ovoid, pointed. Seed solitary.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch. Lowland forest from lat. 35° southwards, but rather local.

FL. 10-1. FT. 12-2.