villous; bark pale-grey. Leaves usually close-set, fascicled on short lateral branchlets, ¼–¾ in. long, obovate or linear-obovate or linear-oblong, rounded at the top or rarely subacute, narrowed into a short petiole, coriaceous, glabrous or the petioles and midrib pubescent; margins flat or slightly recurved; veins not conspicuous. Stipules broad, pubescent or villous. Flowers involucellate, solitary or in 2–4-flowered fascicles. Male flowers: Calyx wanting. Corolla 110 in. long,, broadly campanulate, 4–5-partite almost to the base. Females: Calyx-limb minutely 4–5-toothed. Corolla 112 in., tubular, 4-lobed. Drupe globose, 18 in. diam., variable in colour, bluish or violet-blue or quite black.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 116; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. (1887) 241; Kirk, Students' Fl. 238. C. myrtillifolia, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 21; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 108.
Var. pilosa.—Much more slender and more sparingly branched. Leaves broader, thin and membranous; margins and both surfaces ciliate with soft tawny hairs.
Var. dumosa.—Branches stiff and rigid, often interlacing, villous. Leaves smaller, 16–13 in. long, narrow linear-oblong, very thick and coriaceous.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant throughout, ascending to over 4000 ft. OctoberJanuary.
An extremely variable plant, found in many diverse stations; abundant in rich alluvial soils in lowland forests, and quite as plentiful in high mountain valleys or on steep mountain slopes. Its distinguishing characters are the leafy habit, uniformly pubescent branches, obovate or linear-obovate coriaceous leaves, and small globose drupes. The varieties described above look distinct in their extreme forms, but are connected with the type by numerous intermediates. Var. pilosa approaches very close to C. ciliata, the flowers of which, however, are quite unknown.
20. C. ramulosa, Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 405.—A slender much-branched prostrate or decumbent shrub 2–4 ft. high; branches wide-spreading, the younger ones faintly pubescent; bark pale-brown or grey. Leaves opposite or fascicled on opposite twigs, ⅓ in. long, about 18 in. broad, linear-obovate, rounded at the apex, narrowed into a short petiole or almost sessile, coriaceous or almost membranous, margins flat, veins indistinct. Stipules deltoid, acute, pale-grey or almost white. Male flowers solitary, terminating short lateral branchlets, involucellate. Calyx wanting. Corolla 16 in., campanulate, 4–5-partite. Female flowers not seen. Drupe globose, 16 in. diam., dark-red.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 236. C. pubens, Petrie, l.c. xxvi. (1894) 267 (not of A. Gray).
North Island: Mount Hikurangi, Petrie! Mount Egmont, T.F.C. South Island: Arthur's Pass and Kelly's Hill, Petrie! Kirk! Cockayne! T.F.C; Broken River, Cockayne! 2500–5000 ft.
I have not seen good flowering specimens of this. In foliage it approaches certain states of C. parviflora, and the fruit resembles that of C. rhamnoides; but it differs from both in the slender rambling or prostrate habit.
