Flora of New Zealand Series

Callixene parviflora Hook. f. Ic. Pl.  7,  1844,  t. 632.

C. melantha Col. in T.N.Z.I.  17,  1885,  250.

Enargea parviflora (Hook. f.) Skottsb. in Plant World  18,  1915,  133.

Nohi.

Type locality: Ruahine Mts. Type: K, Colenso.

Wiry, low-growing, semi-herbaceous perennial. Stem creeping at base, occ. 50 cm. long; internodes 2–4–(6) cm. long; nodes with scarious scales and short roots, giving off arcuate aerial branching twigs 4–25 cm. long; lower nodes of each branch with a brown scale in place of a lf, the lowest scale us. shortly tubular; new branches arising mostly in axils of these scales, rarely from axils of green lvs. Stem 4-angled, c. 1 mm. diam., the lvs alternate and distichous in zigzag pattern; each twig of limited growth with 4–12 green lvs, at intervals of 4–10–(20) mm., the uppermost internode so short that the last 2 lvs appear opp. Lvs 7–27 × 3–6–(10) mm., ± oblong, very shortly apiculate; margin entire; petiole very short and twisted so that the smooth, green, slightly keeled abaxial surface faces up to the light (resupinate); adaxial surface ± concave, the spaces between the main nerves notably pale and less smooth; 1–2 nerves on each side of midrib connected by several irregular, ± obvious transverse veins. Fls solitary and terminal between paired uppermost lvs; occ. 1 or 2 of next lower lvs also subtending fls. Fl.-bud, protected by c. 3 scale lvs, rests all winter before the pedicel elongates to 3–5 mm., and fl. develops and opens. Per. nodding; tepals c. 8–18 mm. long, opaque white; outer tepals c. 3 mm. wide with one mid-vein giving off side branches; inner tepals slightly wider, with band of 3 main veins, the mid-vein unbranched. Stamens much < tepals; filaments barely = ovary, little flattened, narrowed above; anther dorsifixed just below middle, versatile but mostly standing erect. Ovary 2.5 mm. long; style 2.5 mm.; ovules 2–3 per locule. Fr. c. 1 cm. diam., sub-globose, shortly apiculate, white, fleshy. Seeds c. 2.5 × 2 mm., pale, very hard. 2n = 20.

DIST.: N., S., St.

Mossy forest floor from mountains of Coromandel Peninsula southwards, sea level in the south.

FL. 12–3. FT. Present most of year.

The S. American L. marginata differs in having more fleshy lvs, scabrid lf-margins, fls 2–3 cm. diam., longer more flattened filaments, anthers held horizontally, and dark purple berry.

Callixene melantha was based on a single green fl.-bud from east side of Ruahine Range.

Growth starts rather suddenly in spring with development of new branches from the rhizome and from the bases of last year's lfy twigs. The new twigs reach their ultimate length in c. 10 weeks and persist for at least a year; there is no further elongation and apical growth is permanently arrested unless the tip is converted into a scale-enclosed fl.-bud which expands in the following spring. The ripening fr. remains attached for 10 months or more and the twig is therefore c. 2½ years old before it dies though its green lvs may fall sooner. Fruiting, flowering and resting tips can often be seen on adjacent twigs of successive ages. Three-way branching, commonly seen on a rhizome, appears to be due to a group of short internodes, also of seasonal origin. Evidence of similar growth patterns can be seen in specimens of S. American spp. of Luzuriaga.