Flora of New Zealand Series

Myrtus pedunculata Hook. f. Ic. Pl. 1844, t. 629.

Eugenia vitis-idaea Raoul in Ann. Sci. nat. Sér. 3, 2, 1844, 122.

Myrtus vitis-idaea (Raoul) Druce in Rep. Bot. (Soc.) Exch. Cl. Manchr. for 1916, 1917, 637.

N. vitis-idaea (Raoul) Burret in Notizbl. bot. Gart. Berl. 15, 1941, 493.

Rohutu.

Type: K, 115, Colenso N.Z.; basis of Ic. Pl. t. 629.

Shrub or tree up to c. 6 m. tall, openly to compactly branched; branchlets glab., 4-angled. Lvs on glab. petioles up to ± 4 mm. long; lamina: (a) ± 15-20 × 10-15 mm., of obovate-oblong order; (b) 6-15 × 4-10 mm., of obovate order-the forms with the larger lvs us. tall. Fls axillary, solitary, c. 6-7 mm. diam., on very slender, glab., peduncles up to c. 15 mm. long. Receptacle subturbinate, ± 3-4 mm. long, us. with 2 minute bracts at base; sepals bluntly triangular, membr.; petals ovate-oblong, white, ± 4-5 mm. long. Berry c. 6 mm. long, broad-ovoid, red or yellow; seeds 2-5.

DIST.: N., S., St. Coastal to lower montane forest and shrubland from lat. 35° southwards.

FL. 12-4. FT. 2-5. Type locality:?

The type of Hooker's sp. has lvs ± 7-9 × 4-5 mm. As it is not clear that Raoul's epithet has priority over Hooker's, and I have not seen Raoul's type, it seems preferable, meantime, to retain the well-established epithet, pedunculata. There appear to be 3 distinct forms at present included in the sp.: (a) tall plants; lvs on petioles ± 3-4 mm. long, lamina ± 15-20 × 10-14 mm.; common in southern part of S.; (b) shrubs, spot-bound, hardly up to 2 m. tall; lvs on petioles ± 1-2 mm. long, lamina 6-15 × 4-10 mm.; occurring throughout; (c) shrubs similar to (b) but spreading by underground stems and forming miniature thickets; noted in beech forests on alluvial ground, near Tophouse and L. Rotoiti, Nelson.