Flora of New Zealand Series

Original localities: Mountains near Waikaremoana and Ruahine Mountains. Type: K, "N.Z. Colenso, 1844".

Densely branched shrub up to c. 3 m. tall, us. less; branchlets stout, not or hardly divaricate, ± densely clad when young in ferruginous to pale hairs. Lvs of juveniles entire to irregularly lobed or rarely pinnatifid. Lvs of adults (often mixed with lvs of semi-juvenile form) alt. or some in alt. fascicles on short arrested branchlets, 8-10 × 5-8 mm., on slender petioles c. 2 mm. long, coriac., elliptic-obovate to broadly elliptic, entire to obscurely sinuate-dentate. Fls axillary, solitary; sepals ovate, obtuse to acute, ciliate; petals very dark red, linear-oblong, subacute. Capsules 5-8 × 5-7 mm., ovoid to subglobose, subcordate at base, downy when young, finely to rather coarsely granulate, style base c. 2 mm. long; seeds 6-12 or reduced to c. 4 in stunted plants.

DIST.: N. Montane forest to subalpine scrub along main axis from lat. 38° southwards. S. Mountains of N.W. Nelson, further distribution uncertain.

FL.- FT. 10-2.