Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "In shady forests near Norsewood". Type: W, Colenso.

Glab. shrub up to c. 5 dm. tall, unbranched or occ. with 1-2 branches, rarely taller and more branched; branchlets dark purple. Lvs on rather stout petioles up to 10 mm. long Lamina obovate, cunéately narrowed to base, obtuse, apiculate, (2.5)-7-(10) × 2-2.5-(3·5) cm., submembr., entire or with a few minute teeth. Infl. of us. solitary fls on glab. peduncles. Calyx 5-lobed; lobes deltoid, acute. Corolla ± 8-10 mm. long, yellowish to reddish; lobes 5, fimbriate. Berry ellipsoid, ± 9-12 × 5-6 mm., bright shining red.

DIST.: N., S. Montane forests from lat. 37º to 43º, mostly west of divide in S.

FL. 11-3 FT. 1-3-?

This was treated by Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 227) as a var. of quercifolia and by Cheeseman (Man. N. Z. Fl. 1925, 881) as a synonym of that sp. It is amply distinct from the type of A. quercifolia, and is the least polymorphic of our spp.