Forstera mackayi Allan

Plants decumbent or pendent from creeping stems and rooting from old leaf axils, 175–280 mm long, leafy shoots erect. Stem 2.1–4.2 mm in diameter when fresh (1.1–)1.6–4.5 mm in diameter when dry, dark purple or green with some crimson tinting, branches 1–3 per plant, leafy parts of the branches 70–135 mm long, 8–15 mm in diameter. Leaves slightly to strongly imbricate so as to leave the stem easily visible to only just visible; distal two-thirds of leaf patent to slightly squarrose; 5.1–8.2 mm long, 1.8–3.4 mm wide at widest point, 1.2–1.9 mm wide at leaf base, elliptical, widest at midleaf or just beyond; apex acute; leaf plane; adaxially mid-yellow-green to dark green, glossy, abaxially yellow-green to mid-green without or with purple tinting in the stomatal zone or over the whole abaxial surface, pigmentation better developed in leaves in older parts of the shoot; median stripe indistinct on abaxial surface, 1.0–2.7 mm wide at base, 0.4–0.7 mm wide at leaf apex, stomata forming a zone each side of median stripe at midleaf and not extending to the margin; leaf margin verrucose on all but the basal third of the leaf, a hyaline border usually conspicuous, 0.1–0.3 mm wide on all margins, slightly wider near the apex; a conspicuous or inconspicuous raised hydathode on upper leaf surface near the apex just below the hyaline border, pale yellow-green to brown.

Flowering stems 1–2 perplant. Peduncle mid- to dark crimson, 53–102 mm long, 0.6–0.7 mm in diameter throughout. Flowers 1–2(–3) per peduncle, the flowers on pedicels arising symmetrically from the peduncle. Bracts 3.4–4.2 mm long, 0.9–1.6 mm wide, narrowly ovate, green, margins glabrous or with hyaline hairs 100–450 pm long. Pedicels 1.03.0 mm long, green, crimson-tinted. Bracteoles 2.8–3.6 mm long, 1.0–1.6 mm wide, margins glabrous or with hairs 90–500 pm long. Ovary 2.0–3.0 mm long, green. Sepals 6, yellow-green, 3.2–5.5 mm long, 1.8–2.1 mm wide, longest marginal hairs 220–410 pm. Corolla 9.1–15.1 mm long, corolla lobes 6 per flower, 8.1–10.0 mm long, 3.9–5.0 mm wide, apices obtuse, entire, outer surface mammillose due to inflated cells, white with crimson speckles invariably present from level with the lobe sinuses to 3.0 mm above the sinuses; lobe sinuses orange or orange-yellow; tube orange-yellow near sinuses grading to pale green near base; two strongly raised ridges present at the base of each corolla lobe, the ridges sometimes joining below the corolla lobe sinuses, sometimes also coloured orange, otherwise white with crimson speckles. Nectaries 1.4–2.0 mm long, 0.4 mm wide at base, subulate, green, sometimes slightly tinted with crimson adaxially. Gynostemium 7.0–8.0 mm long, white, stigmas 2, pale yellow becoming hyaline, c. 0.4 mm long before anthesis, c. 0.8 mm long in female phase. Anthers 1.4–1.5 mm long, walls cream. Capsules c. 8.0 mm long. Seeds 1.3-1.6 mm long.

[Reproduced from Glenny (2010, New Zealand J. Bot. 47: 285–315) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]

Flowering: Feb.–Apr.; Fruiting: Apr.–Jun.