Flora of New Zealand Series

Type: W, "Springall no. 453".

Rather sparingly branched shrub or tree up to 8 m. tall; bark black; branchlets slender, clad when young in white cobwebby or floccose tomentum, as are young lvs. Lvs alt., coriac., lamina 7·5-12.5 × 4-5 cm., on slender petioles 1-2 cm. long; elliptic to broad-elliptic to obovate-oblong, subacute to obtuse. Fls axillary, solitary or in 2-5-fld axillary and terminal clusters; peduncles slender, white-tomentose, up to 2 cm. long. Sepals 6-7 mm. long, subulate to lanceolate, acuminate, white-pubescent on back; petals up to 1 cm. long, oblong-ligulate, dark red. Capsules subglobose to obovoid; white-downy when young, c. 1·5-2 cm. long, 3-valved, rarely 2-valved, on pedicels 1-2 cm. long.

DIST.: N. Great and Little Barrier Is; Coromandel Peninsula.

FL. 10-11. FT. (5). Type locality; Great Barrier Id.

Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 48) distinguishes two vars: (a) var. fasciatum : "Flowers in terminal cymes. Peduncles white, with floccose tomentum." Kauaeranga Creek, Thames, T. Kirk. Type in W. (b) var. viridifolium : see under P. colensoi.