Flora of New Zealand Series

Periploca capsularis Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 20.

Type locality: Queen Charlotte Sound? Type: P, Forster, 56.

Slender liane with main stem hardly > 8 cm. diam., climbing over small trees and shrubs; branchlets pubescent to pilose. Lvs of adult plants on petiols up to c.10 mm. long; Lamina coriac. to submembr., of diverse form, but us. ± uniform on a particular plant; main forms 4-narrow-linear, narrow-lanceolate, oblong, broadly elliptic-oblong-2-10 cm. x 1-5-10-(20) mm.; obtuse to acute, often apiculate; base cuneate to truncate to rounded or subcordate. Infl. of axillary and terminal us. few-fld, ± trichotomous, ± corymbose cymes on very slender pubescent peduncels up to c. 2 cm. long. Fls fragrant, on filiform, pubescent pedicels ± 2-5 mm. long. Calyx 2-3 mm. long, pubescent; lobes = corolla-tube or nearly so, ovate to narrow-triangular to linear, acute to acuminate. Corolla campanulate, white to yellow to dark red; tube (2)-3-4 mm. long; lobes revolute, (2)-3- (3·5) mm. long, narrow- to ovate-oblong, obtuse. Anthers us. wholly exserted beyond throat, surrounding stigma, acute at apex, very shortly sagittate at base. Follicles (5)-6-10-(1·5) cm. x 2-4 mm., subterete. Seeds linear, ± 5 mm. long; coma a tuft of sordid-white hairs up to c.7 mm. long.

DIST.: N., S. Coastal to montane forest outskirts and shrubland, throughout.

FL. 9-2. FT. 11-4.

As at present understood a complex series of vars and hybrids; some effort has been made to resolve the complex, but further work is necessary.

Fig. 24. PARSONSIA CAPSULARIS. Leaves: var. grandiflora and var. parviflora from Carse Herbarium. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X17]