Pimelea ignota C.J.Burrows & Courtney

A small to medium-sized, erect to sprawling shrub, 20-30 cm high, with clustered lateral branches. Prone stems often longer. On young branchlets bands of sparse, moderately long hair usually extend the length of the internode; internodes 0.3-2 mm long; older stems glabrate to glabrous, grey-brown. Node buttresses smooth, dark brown, extending the length of the internode, conspicuous on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, loosely imbricate, coriaceous, crowded on upper branchlets, on short (0.5-1 mm) reddish petioles. Mature leaves glabrous, young leaves usually with a few short hairs at tip. lamina 8-12 × 4-5.5 mm, broad-elliptic to broad-ovate, medium green, flat or adaxially concave, margin thickened, slightly upturned, midvein evident but not prominent abaxially, lateral veins obscure; obtuse, acute or slightly acuminate, sometimes with a small apicula, base cuneate. Stomata on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Inflorescences terminal on branchlets, up to 4-flowered (from count of old pedicels). Involucral bracts 4, similar in size to adjacent leaves (7.2-8 × 4.5-5 mm). Plants probably gynodioecious. Flowers white, on short pedicels (0.3 mm), tube and calyx lobes hairy on outside, inside hairless. ♀ tube 6 mm long, ovary portion 4 mm, calyx lobes 2.4 × 1.3 mm. No information is available on ☿ flowers or anthers. Ovary with relatively sparse hair at summit. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, white, opaque 6.2 × 3.5 mm (estimate). Seeds ovoid, 3 × 1.6 mm, thin crest. Flowering time spring-early summer.

Features of floral biology so far are known from only 3 female flowers, each from different parents; 2 flowers contained nearly mature seeds. Judged by relative positions of old receptacles, flowering occurs infrequently.

[Reproduced from Burrows (2009, New Zealand J. Bot. 47: 325-354) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]