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Volume I (1961) - Flora of New Zealand Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons
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Pimelea Sol. ex Gaertn.

PIMELEA Sol. ex Gaertn., 1788

Fls unisexual to perfect, us. capitate to solitary. Calyx tubular (hypanthium ?), us. swollen at base, 4-lobed (sepals ?); petal scales 0; stamens 2, inserted on throat, filaments slender, anthers introrse; disk 0. Ovary 1-celled, style us. elongate; ovule solitary; fr. small, drupaceous or dry. About 80 spp. of shrubs or subshrubs of Australia and N.Z., with a few in Timor and Lord Howe Is; the N.Z. spp. endemic; the fls mostly functionally unisexual; the ♂ us. larger than ♀, with long filaments, small stigma and abortive ovary; the ♀ with subsessile ± aborted stamens and longer stigma, receptacle villous.

Key

1
Lf-lamina perfectly glab.
2
Lf-lamina, at least when young, bearing hairs
19
2
Branchlets glab. or very nearly so, except sts an axillary tuft
3
Branchlets with distinct investiture of hairs
11
3
Lvs, all or most, 25-75 mm. long; fls 10-20 mm. long
1. longifolia
Lvs, all or most, not > 25 mm.; fls not > 10 mm
4
4
Plant prostrate or decumbent
3. prostrata
Plant erect or spreading
5
5
Lvs sharply keeled, 5-7 mm. long, densely quadrifariously imbricate, narrowed into short petiole, margins thickened
4. crosby-smithiana
Lvs not having all the above characters in combination
6
6
Plant of open habit, branches spreading
7
Plant of erect habit, branches ascending
8
7
Lvs narrow-linear, branchlets stiff, tortuous
12. suteri
Lvs of oblong to ovate order, branchlets flexible, not tortuous
13. prostrata
8
Lvs 2-4 mm. long; per. 3-5-(7) mm. long; branches slender
13. prostrata
Lvs, all or most, > 6 mm. long; per. > 6 mm. long; branches stout
9
9
Lvs, all or most, > 15 mm. long; fls, all or most, > 12 mm. long
2. gnidia
Lvs, all or most, < 10 mm. long; fls, all or most, < 10 mm. long
10
10
Lvs closely quadrifariously imbricated, sessile
5. traversii
Lvs close-set but not imbricated, shortly stalked
3. poppelwellii
11
Plants prostrate or decumbent
12
Plants erect or spreading
14
12
Lvs very densely quadrifariously imbricated
13. prostrata
Lvs not as above
13
13
Lvs, all or most, ± 10 mm. long
7. tomentosa
Lvs, all or most, not > 5 mm. long
13. prostrata
14
Plant erect, branches ascending
15
Plant spreading, branches at wide angle
18
15
Lvs, all or most, ± 10-15 × 4-5 mm.
7. tomentosa
Lvs, all or most, not > 10 × 4 mm.
16
16
Branchlets slender, flexible
13. prostrata
Branchlets stouter, not or hardly flexible
17
17
Branchlets glab., lvs sessile
5. traversii
Branchlets hairy, lvs shortly petioled
6. buxifolia
18
Lvs 4-5 mm. long
13. prostrata
Lvs 10-15 mm. long
7. tomentosa
19
Lvs linear-lanceolate, ± 8-9 mm. long; margins and apex with long cilia
12. suteri
Lvs of ovate, suborbicular to lanceolate order, not having the above characters in combination
20
20
Plant forming very compact depressed patches
15. sericeo-villosa
Plant erect or spreading, if prostrate or decumbent then not very compact
21
21
Plant prostrate or decumbent
22
Plant erect or ascending
23
22
Lvs 7-10 mm. long; fls ± 7 mm. long
14. lyallii
Lvs 4-5 mm. long; fls ± 5 mm. long
13. prostrata
23
Plant forming a ball-like mass
11. concinna
Plant not forming a ball-like mass
24
24
Lvs ± 15 mm. long
7. tomentosa
Lvs not > 10 mm. long
25
25
Lvs of broad-ovate to suborbicular order, plant of dunes
9. arenaria
Lvs of lanceolate order, plant of inland areas
26
26
Young lvs glabrate above, mature lvs patent, plant seldom as much as 25 cm. Tall
8. pseudo-lyallii
Young lvs silky-hairy above, mature lvs ascending, plant us. 40 cm. or even much taller
10. aridula
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