Description
provided by Phytokeys
(Figs 4, 5, 6). Growth habit mostly trees up to 18 m, sometimes (such as on ultramafic rocks and soils) decumbent and trailing forming shrubs up to 2 × 1 m. Plants with tree-habit usually rather slender and gracile with a somewhat spreading canopy; those in exposed conditions branching at or close to the trunk base, while those growing in dense stands or sheltered sites usually with the lower half devoid of branches. Plants with a decumbent habit usually heavily branched, not rooting on contact with soil. Trunk 1(–4) arising from the ground, 0.10–0.60(–0.85) m d.b.h., mostly erect, slender, weakly flexuose; often basally buttressed, mature trees usually devoid of branches for the first 1–2(–4) m; decumbent plants with scarcely discernible trunk due to branches arising from or close to the base; basal portion of trunks covered with layers of somewhat firm to semi-detached, weakly tessellated, short to long, ± irregularly tabular lengths of subcoriaceous brown-grey to greyish-white bark. Bark early bark chartaceous to subcoriaceous, brown to grey-brown, ± elongate, usually bearing a few transverse cracks (especially on branch flanges and decurrent leaf bases) otherwise remaining firmly attached, margins elongate sinuous, ± entire with scarcely any flaking; old bark similar though more distinctly corky subcoriaceous, often coarsely tessellated or broken in long elongate sections, otherwise remaining firmly attached, if detaching then usually doing so along transverse cracks, and peeling inwards and upwards to leave distinct layers of elongate to coarsely tabular, chartaceous, flakes that are centrally attached, with sinuous margins; upper bark surface usually with much secondary peeling, these flakes similar to primary flakes but more distinctly chartaceous, smaller, narrowly elongate with widely sinuous margins; bark usually crumbling readily in hand, and breaking readily if pulled hard into numerous, small, ± tabular to distinctly irregular flakes. Branches depending on growth habit and situation, numerous, initially arising from close to or at trunk base but as plants mature basally thinning such that branches are retained only in the upper half of the tree; usually rather slender, initially ascending but soon spreading, with apices often distinctly pendulous, branch bases mostly clean, sometimes congested by partially decorticated bark; branchlets numerous, usually rather slender, gracile, initially ascending, soon spreading, terminal growth erect or pendulous; initially bright green or bronze green, sometimes red, ± quadrangular to subterete, glabrescent; new growth sericeous, indumentum initially copious, soon sparse, deciduous, hairs divergent 0.02–0.05 mm long, hyaline to translucent (appearing silvery-white when young maturing silver-grey), apices straight not curled or curved; leaves of branchlets densely crowded along stems and brachyblasts; brachyblasts usually closely spaced, though in vigorous new growth they are sometimes quite widely spaced. Vegetative buds inconspicuous, usually obscured from view by surrounding leaves; at resting stage 0.5–0.8 mm diam. narrowly to broadly ovoid; scales often persistent; (0.4–)1.1 mm long, dark red-brown, broadly ovate, ovate-lanceolate grading through to lanceolate, rostrate to cuspidate; midrib strongly keeled, with one row of 4–8 oil glands on either side of midrib; scales glabrous except for the margins and apex; these densely invested in white, silky hairs. Leaves homophyllous; sessile, lamina surfaces glabrous, margins and the basal, adaxial portion of the midrib hairy (especially on young leaves); densely crowded (particularly toward apices) along branchlets and brachyblasts; initially obliquely ascending, mostly suberect to spreading when mature; lamina (4.0–)13.5(–25.0) × (0.5–)1.1(–1.8) mm, bright green to yellow-green, rarely dark green, adaxial surface often glossy when fresh, drying dull, abaxial surface paler; lamina linear, linear-lanceolate, to narrowly lanceolate, straight or with distal quarter weakly recurved, apex acute, sometimes cuspidate, base attenuate; adaxial lamina surface flat to weakly concave, without obvious oil glands, midrib very slightly raised near base, otherwise scarcely evident, basal portion finely and sparsely covered with deciduous, antrorse-appressed sericeous hairs; abaxial surface flat to weakly convex, glandular punctate, oil glands up to 200; midrib glabrous, usually not evident when fresh, sometimes weakly raised just near base, often not evident when dry but sometimes discernible as a slight groove for entire length; lamina margins initially very finely sericeous, becoming glabrate or glabrous; hairs when present antrorse-appressed, forming a fine, often discontinuous band failing just short of lamina apex, otherwise decurrent along leaf bases. Perules deciduous or persistent, (0.6–)0.8(–1.5) mm, initially squamiform, becoming foliose toward first flower, dark red-brown, broadly ovate, ovate-lanceolate grading through to lanceolate, rostrate to cuspidate; midrib strongly keeled, with one row of 4–12 oil glands on either side of midrib; glabrous except for the margins and apex; these densely invested in white, sericeous hairs. Inflorescence mostly a compact corymbiform to shortly elongate (3–)8(–15)-flowered botryum up to 60 mm long; usually on brachyblasts with the terminal shoot corymbiform or extending as a slightly longer (up to 80 mm long) 6–15-flowered, elongate botryum with flowers usually crowded, terminal portion usually bearing undeveloped flowers and active vegetative growth. Inflorescence axis densely invested with short, weakly divergent silky hairs. Pherophylls foliose ± persistent, 1 per flower; lamina (3.0–)6.7(–7.8) × (0.9–)1.1(–1.4) mm, leaf-like pherophylls bright green (rarely dark green) elliptic, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute, base attenuate; adaxial surface weakly concave to flat, oil glands scarcely evident up to 10; midrib scarcely evident at base only, surface glabrous; abaxial surface weakly convex or flat, oil glands up to 30; midrib scarcely evident at base only, lamina margin glabrescent, hairs as for leaf margins. Pedicels (1.6–)2.7(–3.8) mm long at anthesis, usually elongating slightly after anthesis, terete, usually glabrous, very rarely sparsely covered with divergent to weakly sericeous hairs. Flower buds pyriform to narrowly obconic, apex of mature buds weakly domed to flat, calyx lobes distant, not touching. Fresh flowers when fully expanded (4.1–)6.3(–8.3) mm diam. Hypanthium (1.4–)2.1(–3.2) × (1.9–)2.9(–4.1) mm, with free portion (0.4–)0.6(–1.0) mm long, bright green, bronze-green or yellow-green mottled with red; sharply obconic, apex terminating in a usually dark pink or crimson chartaceous rim bearing five persistent suberect to spreading calyx lobes (rim usually drying dark maroon to maroon-black); external hypanthium surface smooth, glabrous (very rarely glabrescent with basal quarter finely and sparsely covered with minute weakly antrorse hairs); oil glands, conspicuous, ± colourless; ribs not evident when fresh, conspicuous (along with venation) when dry. Calyx lobes 5, suberect to spreading, subcoriaceous, (0.4–)0.7(–1.0) × (0.4–)0.8(–1.0) mm, persistent, orbicular, obtuse to broadly deltoid, red-green, pink or crimson, keel not evident in fresh material, becoming prominent when dried, oil glands conspicuous, ± colourless, margins glabrous or finely ciliate; cilia white. Receptacle green or pink at anthesis, darkening to crimson or dark magenta after fertilisation. Petals 5, (1.4–)2.2(–2.6) × (1.5–)2.2(–2.9) mm, white (often drying yellow), orbicular, suborbicular to narrowly ovate, spreading, apex rounded, margins often incurved, entire or very finely denticulate, oil glands usually not evident when fresh, ± colourless. Stamens (10–)18–24(–34) in 1–2 weakly defined whorls, arising from receptacle rim, filaments white. Antipetalous stamens (2–)3(–5), antisepalous 2–3(–4). Antipetalous stamens outcurved usually with distal portion slightly incurved, on filaments 1.6–2.8 mm long, inner stamens if present, confined to the bases of the outermost antipetalous pair, 0.8–1.2 mm, incurved. Antisepalous stamens shorter than outermost antipetalous stamens, 0.6–1.2 mm, weakly to strongly incurved, rarely erect or outcurved, often in mixtures of both. Anthers dorsifixed, 0.35–0.48 × 0.16–0.24 mm, broadly ellipsoid, latrorse. Pollen white (14.1–)14.6(–17.3) μm. Anther connective gland prominent, pink or pinkish-orange when fresh, drying red to orange, ± spheroidal to pyriform, ± immersed to half of length between anthers, ± coarsely papillate. Ovary (4–)5 locular, each with 16–21(–24) ovules in two rows on each placental lobe. Style 1.5–2.2 mm long at anthesis, elongating slightly after anthesis, white, rarely basally flushed pink; stigma capitate, about 1¼ × the style diam., flat, cream or white, flushing pink after anthesis, surface very finely granular-papillate. Fruits rarely persistent, (1.9–)2.7(–3.4) × (1.8–)2.8(–3.9) mm, glabrous, initially dark green to reddish-green, maturing brown to grey-brown to grey-black; in all types fading with age to pale greyish-white, cupular, barrel-shaped, shortly cylindrical to hemispherical, calyx valves usually erect with the apices incurved, splits concealed by dried, erect, free portion of hypanthium. Seeds 1.00(–1.05) × 0.32(–0.50) mm, usually curved near apex, laterally compressed, 2–3-angled with convex to flattened faces, apex rounded to subacute; base oblique, ± flattened; testa semi-glossy, orange-brown to dark brown, obovoid, oblong, oblong-ellipsoid, or cylindrical and ± curved, surface coarsely reticulate. FL: (Nov–)Dec–Jan(–Mar). FT: Feb–Apr(–Aug). Chromosome Number n = 11II, 2n = 22 (see de Lange and Murray 2004).
- license
- cc-by-3.0
- copyright
- Peter J. de Lange
- bibliographic citation
- de Lange P (2014) A revision of the New Zealand Kunzea ericoides (Myrtaceae) complex PhytoKeys (40): 1–185
- author
- Peter J. de Lange