Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Shady woods at Wangaroa". Type: K, A. Cunningham, 1826.

Soft-wooded, stem-twining, branching liane up to 10 m. tall or more; main stems up to c.10 cm. diam.; branches often twining about themselves branchlets subterete, pubescent, reddish brown. Lvs of adults on stout petioles up to ± 1 cm. (sts to 2 cm.) long. Lamina coriac., dark green, ± shining above, paler below, of very diverse form (both on the same plant and of different plants), ± 3-7-(10) × (5 mm.)-1-4 cm. (subfloral lvs often smaller), linear to lanceolate to elliptic to rhomboid to broad-oblong to broad-obovate; apex acute to obtuse to broadly rounded, often apiculate. Infl. of axillary and terminal paniculate cymes up to ± 10 cm. long, bracts often foliaceous. Fls fragrant, ± (6)-7-8-(10) mm. long. Calyx pubescent, 3-4 mm. long, deeply lobed; lobes reaching ± ⅓ way up corolla-tube, bluntly narrow-triangular; glands basal, fimbriate. Corolla white to yellow; tube cylindric to slightly flaring, ± 7-8 mm. long, ± pubescent; lobes oblong, 4-5 mm. long, acute to obtuse, recurved. Anthers sagittate, ± 2 mm. long, not exserted beyond throat; style c.4mm. long, reaching to mid-anther position; stigmas 2, erect, connivent. Follicles 7-15 cm. long, narrow, subterete, glab. Seeds linear, ± 5 mm. long; coma of sordid-white tufted hairs up to 10 mm. long.

DIST.: Three Kings, N., S., St. Coastal to lowland and lower montane forests throughout, especially marginal. Kaihua.

FL. 9-3. FT. 12-4. Dehisced follicles may persist for several months longer.

The sp., though clearly separated from P. capsularis by floral, remains ill-defined as to vegetative characters. No form has had its life-history adequately studied, and the following groups, based on If-form in adults, are provisional only ("intermediate" forms are not uncommon). All are widespread except the last: (a) lamina of elliptic to subrhomboid or broad-ovate order, ± 30-45 x15-20 mm.; (b) lamina of lanceolate to narrow-elliptic order, ± 40-60 x 5-15 mm.; (c) lamina of broad-elliptic to broadly elliptic-oblong order, ± 45-60-(75) x 30-40 mm.; (d) lamina of elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong order, ± 50-75 x ± 20 mm.; (e) lamina of narrow-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate-oblong order, ± 45-60-(70) x 5-10 mm. Port Hills, Christchurch and Bank Peninsula. The lvs may be entire to lobulate.

P. heterophylla A. Cunn., "foliis ovato-lanceolatis integerrimis mucronatis vel elongato-lanceolatis attenuatis", belongs to the (b) group above. P. variabilis Lindl. in J. hort. Soc. Lond. 5, 1850, 196 was accepted by Hooker (Fl. N.Z. 1, 1854, 181): "Very much like P. heterophylla, but the leaves are shining and more variable in form, the linear ones being far narrower and often expanding into a circular blade. The flowers are not more than half the size, and instead of being contracted at the mouth and urceolate, are exactly campanulate; they are also far less hairy, by no means so numerous or densely arranged, and usually intermingled with long narrow leaves." He speaks of it as "cultivated in England". In the Handbook 1864, 188, however, Hooker says: "I know nothing of the P. variabilis, Lindl., but suppose it to be founded on young specimens of [P. heterophylla]". The description is that of a semi-juvenile plant with precocious fls.

Raoul in Ann. Sci. nat. Sér. 3, 2, 1844, 118 included in this diagnosis of his P. albiflora : "foliis lanceolatis v. ovate-lanceolatis attenuatis acutis basi rotundatis". It was based on specimens from Akaroa. This agrees with group (e) and probably P. albiflora deserves varietal rank. Colenso (T.N.Z.I. 14, 1882, 331) describes his P. macrocarpa as having: "branches pubescent with scattered white adpressed hairs; young branches densely tomentose; leaves papyraceous, opposite, elliptic-lanceolate (sometimes obovate), 21/2 inches long (with a few smaller, 1-11/2 inches), mucronate, pubescent, margins entire . . . midrib stout, tomentose on both sides . . . calyx large . . . dark pink . . . densely velvety tomentose . . . corolla pure white, urceolate, inflated, 31/2-5 lines long, finely pubescent on the outside . . . lobes small, scarcely 1 line long . . . Follicles (immature and green) . . . 8 inches long, 2 1/2 lines in diameter . . . minutely strigose-pubescent . . . The nodal stipules or appendages, on the young long flagelliform densely tomentose branches (rami viminei) . . . are opposite, erect, large, 3 lines long, subulate or linear with small dilated sub-leafy apices . . . 'Seventy-mile Bush', Hawke's Bay; thickets near banks of streams, 1876-1881; flowering in April, also in November . . ." In the Colenso Herb. in W is a specimens (without any Colenso label) labelled "70 miles bush. Type of P. macrocarpa Col." It does not well fit Colenso's description.

Fig. 23. PARSONSIA HETEROPHYLLA. Leaves: to left of scale some forms from juvenile plants, to right of scale from flowering plants. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X16]