Flora of New Zealand Series

C. acerosa A. Cunn. form brunnea Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 240.

Type locality: Canterbury Plains. Type: W, J. B. Armstrong, 1871.

Prostrate to sprawling with slender flexible interlacing branches and branchlets forming flattened us. rather open mats up to c. 2 m. diam. Branches with dark brown bark, branchlets pubescent. Lvs in opp. pairs or fascicles on very short petioles. Stipules broadly triangular, obtuse, pubescent, ciliolate. Lamina coriac., dark brownish green, glab., linear, obtuse, 5-8-(13) × 0·5-1 mm. Midrib alone evident. Fls solitary, terminal on short lfy branchlets. ♂ with calyx vestigial or 0; corolla broadly campanulate, lobes acute, ± = tube. ♀ with calyx minutely toothed; corolla tubular, lobes acute, ± = tube. Drupe translucent pale blue or with pale blue flecks, globose, 5-6 mm. diam.

DIST.: N., S., St. Lowland to higher montane riverbeds, open grassland and rubbly places from c.lat. 36º 30' southwards.

Oliver (loc. cit. 43) observed that "This species occurs in a number of forms, which seem to some extent to correspond with different habitats. The prevalent form in scrub is a divaricating shrub 4 to 6 feet tall. On the river beds and stony plains it is a trailing, completely prostrate shrub with long slender stems with few branches. The type belongs to this form." I restrict the epithet brunnea to the prostrate plant. Oliver refers to other forms, one of which corresponds to C. intertexta Simpson. No experimental work has been done on the group.