Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: McLaren's Falls, Tauranga. Type: ?

Branching shrub to 2 m. tall. Branchlets stout, us. glab., length of internodes several × diam. Lvs (6)-8-15-(20) × 1-2.5 cm., linear-lanceolate, ± coriac.; lf-bud with distinct sinus, the lamina narrowed rather abruptly into short petiole; lamina evenly tapered to narrow subacute tip, glab. except for minute pubescence on margin, sts minutely remotely denticulate in upper half. Infls lateral, simple, = or > lvs, peduncle long. Pedicels 2-3 mm. long, = or > narrow ciliolate bracts. Calyx-lobes c. 2 mm. long, obtuse to subacute, ciliolate on pale membr. border. Corolla white or occ. pale lilac, tube to 2 × calyx, rather wide, lobes = or < tube. Capsule erecto-patent, acute, glab., > 2 × calyx.

DIST.: N. Between c. lat. 37° 30' and 40°. In forest.

FL. 11-8.

Plants from Carse's garden are represented by 1235 and 1235/2 in Herb. Carse (CM) and by BD 81934, but none of these is labelled as from McLaren's Falls. W 5319 "found by Mr. D. H. L. Corrigan" and BD 10782 are from McLaren's Falls but have nothing to show that they were examined by Carse. All are alike and match Carse's description.

Very near to H. salicifolia but lvs do not show the sudden narrowing below the acuminate tip that is characteristic of that sp.; also the calyx-lobes are broader and of thicker texture, the corolla has longer tube and less acute, us. shorter, lobes, and the capsule is quite different.

Little is known of H. corriganii in its original locality but there is reason to think it extends at least to Karangahake Gorge. Some specimens from western Bay of Plenty suggest that this sp. hybridizes both with H. macrocarpa and with H. pubescens.

Apparently belonging to H. corriganii is a plant widespread at higher levels both in beech forest and in mixed forest, and known from Raukumara Range, the central highlands and the Pouakai Range of Taranaki (e.g. BD 86359, Beech forest, c. 3000 ft, Kaimanawa Range, A. P. Druce, Jan. 1947). It is reported by A. P. Druce and N. L. Elder to be the only Hebe growing within these montane forests.