Ackama nubicola de Lange

Small tree 5–15 m tall. Mature specimens multi-trunked (very rarely single) from the base, forming a broadly domed crown, often with suckering habit. Stems one or more, often distinctly curved from base and tapering, 5–12(–30) cm diam. Branches stout, sparse, erect; young branches and branchlets terete, initally pale green mottled with purple, maturing green with maroon blemishes, sparsely covered with pale 0.5–0.8 mm hairs, these falling with branch maturation. Bark of young branches at first pale grey, firm, drying into narrow sinuous strips, lenticellate. Bark of mature branches and trunks firm, greyish white, variously streaked graphite grey. Stipules interpetiolar, persistent; seedling stipules at first dark green, up to 6 × 7 mm, membranous, orbicular, upper third of margin ± coarsely toothed, all parts covered in 0.6– 1 mm, pilose, rufous hairs; stipules of successive leaf pairs and shade shoots becoming chartaceous, glabrescent, otherwise glabrous on exposed and/or adult trees; mature stipules butter yellow or cream, basally flushed purple, with 18–20 maroon-tinged veins extending from stipule base to apex, otherwise often spotted maroon, up to 14 × 18 mm, fleshy, orbicular, with entire laminal margin. Leaves of seedlings 20–50 × 20–40 mm, dark green mottled with red, or uniformly vinaceous, opposite, at first rhomboidal, with lamina margins entire or sparsely toothed; soon becoming imparipinnate, with successive leaves increasing in size, and lamina margins strongly serrated; indumentum of copious, eglandular hairs of two types; longer 0.6–0.9 mm, pilose, and shorter 0.3–0.4 mm, falcate, both types rufous or amber coloured, covering rachis, main veins (both surfaces), and especially along the lamina margin except apex of serrations; adaxial lamina surface of all emerging leaflets covered in golden brown, sessile spherical glands, 0.1 mm diam.; these rupturing as leaf expands imparting a resinous coating on maturing leaflet. Leaves of saplings 30–70 × 20–30 mm, at first pink and viscid, with adaxial surface maturing to dark green mottled with red, and abaxial paler green, leaflets 7–11, on pulvinate petiolules 15–25 mm long; imparipinnate, and dentate, indumentum as for seedling foliage. Adult leaves 140–300 × 50–140 mm, initially pink and viscid, with adaxial surface maturing dark green mottled with red, and abaxial paler green to almost cream, imparipinnate, opposite, on stout dark maroon pulvinate petioles 35–40 mm long. Leaflets (2–)4(–11) pairs; petiolules pulvinate dark maroon, 10–30 mm long, with basal pair and terminal petiolules the largest; leaflet lamina surface with all surfaces at first copiously covered in rufous to amber-coloured pilose, eglandular 0.4–0.5 mm long hairs, becoming glabrescent with age; lamina 30– 150 × 35–100 mm, with middle pairs larger than all but the terminal leaflet, basal leaflet pair truncate, other pairs except the terminal leaflet truncate or oblique; terminal leaflet cuneate, this up to 100 × 50 mm, subcoriaceous, broadly ovate, apex acuminate, acumen 5–10 mm long; lamina margin strongly dentate. Inflorescences axillary; panicles 80–100 mm long, suberect to pendent, copiously branched; ultimate branches 15–20 mm long; all parts covered in patent slender hairs and sparse minute, sessile gland-hairs. Flowers perfect, arranged ± diffusely, on very short pedicels (to 0.3 mm long). Calyx (4–)5 merous, valvate; 0.8 mm long, sepals oblong-deltoid, connate, sparsely covered in appressed hairs. Petals (4–)5, off white to pink, c. 0.8 × c. 0.2 mm, somewhat fleshy, exceeded by the sepals, narrowly elliptic. Stamens usually 10, filaments 1.6 mm long, white to pale pink; anthers c. 0.2 mm diam., cream. Pollen, off white, bicellular. Nectarial disc c. 0.25 mm long, with a ± truncate or indented rim c. 0.15 mm wide, tending to be divided into 5 or more lobes between the antipetalous stamens. Ovary ovoid, 0.8 mm diam., densely covered in appressed antrorse hairs, the two carpels free almost to base, ovules 2(–3) per carpel. Styles 0.8 mm long, pale pink, falcate. Stigmas 0.2–0.4 mm long, crimson, punctate. Fruit a somewhat squat, basally truncate, broadly cylindrical to globose dehiscent capsule, 2.4–3.0 × 2.0–2.7 mm, with persistent sepals; style withering early leaving a stub-like remnant 0.3–0.7 mm long; capsules at first somewhat fleshy, cream coloured, drying on dehiscence to honey brown or dark brown; septicidal split extending almost to base, loculicidal split scarcely evident; adaxial surface of valves sparsely covered in white, eglandular, 0.5 mm strigose hairs, and yellow, 0.04 mm diam., sessile, spherical trichomes. Seeds 4(–6) per capsule, reddish brown, 0.9 × 0.4 mm, ovoid, ± asymmetric, terete, tapering to an obtuse apex, abruptly constricted to an obtuse base, all parts except the vicinity of the hilum clothed in sparse, flexuous, yellow-brown hairs, hilum 0.24 mm dark brown, testa minutely folded and ridged. FL Feb–Mar; FR Mar–Jul.

[Reproduced from de Lange et al. (2002, New Zealand J. Bot. 40: 525-534) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]