Flora of New Zealand Series

Manuka, Kahikatoa, Tea-tree.

Type locality: Dusky Sound ? Type: In the type cover at K is one Forster sheet with one large and one small branching piece.

Shrubs of diverse habit, or trees up to c. 4 m. tall. Bark brown, shedding in long strips. Branchlets and young lvs ± silky-hairy. Lvs subsessile, ± 4-12 × 1-4 mm., of 2 main forms on different plants-narrow-lanceolate or ovate-coriac., rigid, acute, pungent, erect to patent. Fls axillary, or occ. terminal on branchlets, sessile or nearly so, us. solitary, up to 12 mm. diam. or more. Receptacle broadly turbinate, adnate to ovary. Sepals suborbicular, soon falling; petals suborbicular, with short claw. Capsule woody, long-persistent, distinctly exserted beyond receptacle-rim, 5-valved.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch. Throughout in lowland to subalpine areas, in many habitats, often forming extensive thickets.

FL.- FT. 9-6 (capsules often not dehiscing till succeeding year).