short, narrow-ovate, caducous. Ovary hirsute. Capsule small, broadly ovoid, apiculate, ¼–⅓ in. long, 2-valved, pilose when young, almost glabrous when old.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 20; Kirk, Students' Fl. 49.
North Island: Mount Hikurangi, Adams! Petrie! Lake Waikaremoana and Ruahine Mountains, Colenso; Tararua Mountains, H. H. Travers! T. P. Arnold! South Island: Nelson—Maitai Valley and Dun Mountain Range, Rev. F. H. Spencer! T. F. C.; Wangapeka and Buller Valley, T. F. C.; Lake Guyon, W. T. L. Travers! Marlborough—Mount Stokes, Macmahon! Canterbury—Lake Grasmere, Kirk! Waimakariri Valley, Cockayne! Otago—Dusky Bay, Hector and Buchanan. Altitudinal range from sea-level to 4000 ft. November–December.
The flowers are described as axillary in the Handbook, but in all the flowering specimens I have seen they either terminate the main branches or are placed at the tip of short lateral ones, as shown in the beautiful plate given in the "Flora Novæ-Zealandiæ." But the lateral branchlets are sometimes very short, giving the flowers the appearance of being axillary.
8. P. patulum, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 19.—An erect shrub or small tree 6–15 ft. high, glabrous except the young shoots and peduncles, which are sparingly clothed with fulvous silky hairs; branchlets stout. Leaves extremely variable, in the young state 1–2 in. long, 16–13 in. broad, linear, closely and deeply lobed or pinnatifid, the lobes often again toothed, gradually passing into the mature stage, which is lineair or linear-oblong, entire or crenate-serrate, coriaceous, obtuse, gradually narrowed into a short stout petiole. Flowers in 4–8-flowered terminal umbels; pedicels slender, ½ in. long. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, pointed. Petals twice as long as the sepals, obtuse, recurved at the tips. Capsules globose or broader than long, ⅓ in. diam., compressed, 2-valved.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 50.
South Island: Nelson—Lake Rotoiti, Buchanan! T. F. C.; Wairau Mountains, Sinclair; Lake Guyon, Travers! Glacier Gully, Spenser Mountains, Kirk!
A very remarkable and distinct species, of which more specimens are required to frame a good description. I have only one flowering specimen.
9. P. virgatum, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iv. (1872) 264.—A small tree 15–25 ft. in height, with slender trunk and black bark; branchlets, young leaves, petioles, and inflorescence densely clothed with ferruginous tomentum. Leaves very variable, in young trees ½–1½ in. long, linear-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, entire lobed or pinnatifid, gradually passing into the mature forms, which are 1–2 in. long, elliptic- or oblong-obovate to oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, usually entire but occasionally sinuate or lobed, obtuse or acute, gradually narrowed into rather short petioles. Flowers terminal, either solitary or in 2–4-flowered umbels. Sepals linear-lanceolate, acuminate, densely tomentose. Petals shortly recurved at the tips. Capsules erect, globose, ½ in. diam., 2-valved, glabrous when fully mature.—Students Fl. 50.
