Flora of New Zealand Series

Polygonum (Muehlenbeckia) ephedroides Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1854, 211.

Type locality: near sea, Ahuriri, Hawke's Bay. Type: K, Colenso 1079, "dry banks at the station, H. B." Colenso.

Much-branched prostrate to sprawling shrub, with stems up to 1 m. or more long; final branchlets ± 1 mm. diam., flexuous, striate, finely pubescent. Lvs glab. or glabrate, narrow-linear, dark to greyish green, revolute, glabrate, ascending, 5-10-(25) mm. long, rather distant at constricted nodes, sts very few or 0; ochreae 1-1·5-(2) mm. long, truncate. Infl. of few-fld fascicles or short racemes; pedicels pale, bracted, very slender, ± 1 mm. long. Fls unisexual; sexes often mingled in same fascicle or raceme, occ. with perfect fls present; if predominately ♂ then raceme us. lax; if predominately ♀ then fascicle us. dense. Tepals 3-3·5 mm. long, united ± halfway, lobes narrow-triangular, white or greenish; stigmas fimbriate. Fr. somewhat shining, black, trigonous, c. 3 × 1·5 mm., ovoid in outline, tepals becoming white and succulent, or remaining dry on same plant.

DIST.: N., S. Coastal, lowland to montane sandy and gravelly places and rock-clefts from lat. 39° to 45°, east of divide; more common in S.