Flora of New Zealand Series

P. ericifolia Hook. in J. Bot. 1, 1834, 257.

P. amoena Col. in T.N.Z.I. 18, 1886, 258.

Type locality: Tasmania. Type: K, Gunn, 231.

Closely branched lfy shrub up to 1 m. tall, young stems and buds with simple white hairs, often hoary. Lvs 5-10 × 1-2 mm., narrow-cymbiform, entire, deeply grooved at midrib, almost sessile; in seedlings larger, flatter, almost glab., with a few small teeth; upper surface with soft simple hairs, lower surface white with close, mostly stellate hairs, veins not prominent, midrib with ∞ long simple hairs; stipules narrow, hairy, long compared with lvs (1-3 mm.), often conspicuous. Infl. of few-fld axillary corymbs often freely produced along lfy twigs, less often terminal; outer bracts triangular, dark brown, scarious; buds rounded. Fls almost sessile, very pale yellow, c. 3 mm. diam.; calyx-tube with fine white hairs, mostly sessile stellate; sepals c. 1·5 mm. long; petals 0; stamens < sepals; style divided almost to base; capsule c. 3 mm. long, < ⅓ immersed in calyx-tube, losing sepals early; operculum occupying most of inner face of coccus; seeds (1·3)-1·6-2 × 1-(1·2) mm., dark brown, shining.

DIST.: N. Dry hills from North Cape to Cape Palliser, not known from Taranaki. S. Mt. Stokes, J. L. Thomson; Horrelville, north of R. Waimakariri, E. P. Turner; Eyrewell Forest, W. J. Wendelken. Tauhinu.

FL. (9)-10-11-(3). FT. 11-3.

P. amoena, represented in W by two small twigs from Colenso's herbarium, shows no significant differences.

Since Hooker's Handbook (1864)  P. ericifolia has been relegated to synonymy under P. phylicifolia, of which the type locality is in N. S. W. The latter name in its broad sense covers a complex and as yet unresolved group, but there is good evidence that the common N.Z. plant matches the Tasmanian P. ericifolia rather than P. phylicifolia sens. strict.  The above description is drawn up from N.Z. plants which are rather uniform except for wide range in seed-size.