Knightia excelsa R.Br.
Honeysuckle.
Type locality: Tolaga Bay. Type: BM, Solander.
Fastigiately branched tree up to 30 m. tall, trunk up to 1 m. or more diam.; final branchlets angled, clad in ferruginous tomentum. Lvs of juveniles thinly coriac., up to ± 30 cm. long, linear-lanceolate, acutely serrate, occ. forked. Lvs of adults very thick, 10-15-(20) cm. × 25-40 mm., on stout petioles c. 1 cm. long. Lamina narrow-oblong to narrow obovate-oblong, rigid; bluntly, coarsely serrate, pubescent when young; occ. forked. Racemes stout, up to ± 10 cm. long, densely fld; pedicels and per. densely clad in red-brown tomentum. Ovary tomentose; style up to 3 cm. long, stout, clavate. Follicles 3-4 cm. long, pubescent, tapering to persistent style. Seeds c. 10 mm. long, terminated by wing c. 15 mm. long.
DIST.: N., S. Lowland to lower montane forests from near North Cape to Marlborough Sounds. Rewarewa, N.Z.
FL. 10-12. FT. 10-12 in following year.