Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Shores of Manukau Harbour in rocky places. Type: K, Colenso. There are two pieces; lvs (now few) ± 6-7 × 3-5 mm., obovate-oblong to sub-orbicular.

Much-branched, up to 1-2-(4) m. tall; branches rigid, divaricate, bark dark reddish brown; branchlets rather slender, ± interlacing, pubescent when young. Lvs few together in fascicles on short branchlets, or paired; petioles narrowly winged, 1-2 mm. long, pubescent. Stipules triangular, acute, pubescent, ciliolate. Lamina thick, coriac., dark green above, whitish to subglaucous below, suborbicular to oval to broad-oblong, rounded to subtruncate, abruptly narrowed to base, 6-10-(15) × (3)-5-(10) mm.; margins ciliolate when young, recurved. Venation ± obscure on both surfaces, or midrib evident below. ♂ solitary or 2-4 together on short branchlets; calyx 0; corolla funnelform, lobes ovate, acute, = or > tube. ♀ solitary, terminal on short branchlets; calyx-teeth minute; corolla-tube short, lobes long, narrow, acute. Drupe yellow or white, globose, 5-6 mm. diam. [Oliver, loc. cit. 81, has of the ♀ "corolla with short tube and 4 long, narrow, acute lobes, or tubular with short lobes".]

DIST.: N., S. Coastal rocky and sandy places; lowland to lower montane forest and shrubland from c. lat. 35º southwards, local in southern part of range.

C. pendula Col. in T.N.Z.I. 21, 1889, 84 was based on specimens from "Dry woods south of Dannevirke . . . flowering October, fruiting April 1887 and 1888: W. C." From the description the name in not an absolute synonym of C. crassifolia. "Shrub slender, erect, 6 ft. -10 ft. high; much branched above, trunk bare below . . . branches very long, inplexed and pendulous . . . Leaves small, few, opposite, distant . . . orbicular, sometimes broadly elliptic and very obtuse, 3-5 (rarely 6-8) lines long . . . ciliolate . . . sub-membranous -coriaceous, green above, very pale (almost dead-white) below . . . Stipules short, broadly-ovate, sub-acute, pubescent, the lower connate. Flowers rather large . . . Drupe small, globular, 2 lines diameter, white, glabrous, shining, semipellucid". Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 240) accepts it as a var. of C. rubra on specimens from "Hawke's Bay, Colenso". Oliver (loc. cit. 80) places the name as a synonym of C. crassifolia.