Flora of New Zealand Series

Large or very large tree; bark persistent and fibrous on lower part of trunk, peeling in long strips to expose smooth greyish white surface on upper part. Juvenile lvs opposite for few pairs, these and intermediate lvs very large, petiolate, glaucous, ovate; base oblique. Adult lvs with petiole 1-3 cm long; lamina mostly 10-20 cm long, lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate, coriaceous, somewhat falcate, concolorous, usually ± glaucescent; veins diverging at 30-45° from midrib; base slightly to moderately oblique; apex acuminate. Umbels axillary; fls 7-15; peduncles 5-20 mm long, ± terete; pedicels c. = buds. Buds 3-5 mm long, clavate, glaucous; operculum < hypanthium, hemispheric with acute apex. Stamens white; anthers reniform. Fr. tapering to pedicel, 7-10 × (6)-7-8 mm, pyriform or clavate with truncate apex; valves 4, included; disc narrow, obliquely descending or nearly flat.

N.: Waikato, Kaingaroa State Forest (Rotorua); S.: Golden Downs State Forest (Nelson), and Dusky Forest (Tapanui, Southland).

Mountain areas of Tasmania, Victoria and S. N.S.W. 1957

Regenerating near old plantations, fairly common.

FL Jan-Mar.

E. delegatensis is often cultivated for timber on a small scale in inland areas because it is very cold hardy. N.Z. plants are all referable to subsp. delegatensis from Victoria and N.S.W. The sp. is known as alpine ash in Australia and has been previously recorded in N.Z. as E. gigantea.