Flora of New Zealand Series

"Stems slightly decumbent and woody at the base, emitting one or two stolons, ascending, 9 in.-18 in. high, rigid, terete, bifariously pubescent. Leaves opposite, distant, broadly ovate, obtuse or rarely acute, abruptly narrowed into the very short petiole, remotely toothed, glabrous or pubescent beneath. Flowers few, white, nodding in bud, 1/8 in.-1/4 in. in diameter, solitary in the axils of the upper leaves, or terminating short branchlets. Peduncles and calyx-tube pubescent or puberulous. Calyx-lobes ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute. Style thickened upwards; stigma broadly oblong, emarginate. Fruiting peduncles equalling or shortly exceeding the leaves. Capsules 2 in. long, pubescent. Seeds scarcely papillose.

"NORTH Island: East Cape, J. B. Lee! Ruahine Range, Petrie! Tararua Range, T. P. Arnold. SOUTH Island: Canterbury, Cockayne! Kelly's Creek, Westland, 2,500 ft. Petrie!

"This plant approaches E. chloraefolium, but is more robust, never branched at the base, and the capsules are longer; it also differs in the emarginate stigma."

In Kirk's Herbarium at W there is a sheet with (a) "1177, L. Cockayne, Canterbury": there are 2 lfy scraps and an upper piece bearing fls. Lvs opp. except in floral region, distant; internodes up to 4 cm. long; lamina broad-ovate 15-19 × 9-15 mm., coarsely denticulate; branches bifariously pubescent, rather stout. Peduncles ± 20-25 mm. long, pubescent; capsules ± 3 cm. long; fls ± 7 mm. diam.; calyx ± 5 mm. long, lobes ovate-lanceolate; petals ± 10 mm. long. (b) "Tararua range, T.P. Arnold 1178": 5 small pieces, similar to the Canterbury specimens, but the peduncles not or hardly longer than the short floral lvs, the capsules ± 3 cm. long. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 607) places the name as an absolute synonym of E. chloraefolium. The whole chloraefolium complex is very imperfectly understood.