Flora of New Zealand Series

M. florida Hook. f. in Bot. Mag. 1849, t. 4471 non

Melaleuca florida Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 37.

Rata.

Type locality: "Forests of Wangaroa". Type: K, A. Cunningham, Nov. 1826.

Tree up to 25 m. or more tall; trunk up to 2 m. or more diam.; branchlets 4-angled, puberulous. Lvs coriac., on stout petioles ± 2 mm. long; lamina 25-50 × 15-20 mm., elliptic- to ovate-oblong, obtuse, glab. Infl. of many-fld, terminal cymes; pedicels up to c. 5 mm. long. Receptacle obconic, up to 9 mm. long; sepals broad-triangular; petals about oblong, ± 3 mm. long; stamens ± 3 cm. long, red. Ovary adnate to receptacle; capsules oblong, 6-9 mm. long, distinctly exserted, loculicidally 3-valved.

DIST.: Three Kings, N., S. Coastal to lower montane forest to about lat. 42° 30' west of divide in S.

FL. 11-1. FT. 12-1.

Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 162) described his var. intermedia from material collected by him on Rangitoto Id: "Twigs much stouter. Leaves excessively coriaceous, ovate-lanceolate. Cymes small. Pedicels and peduncles short and stout." Carse (T.N.Z.I. 50, 1927, 92) gave a description of his × M. sub-tomentosa, based on specimens from Lake Taupo, Whau Creek, and Titirangi. The parent spp. were M. excelsa and M. robusta. Cooper (Rec. Auck. Inst. Mus. 4, 1954, 205-212) made detailed studies of specimens in the Cheeseman Herbarium and of two mass collections on Rangitoto Id. It is clear that the crossing of the two spp. results in a polymorphic series of hybrids. Carse's No. 935/2, "amongst scrub, Titirangi, 22/5/22" in CM is taken as the type of × M. sub-tomentosa.