Forstera cristis Glenny & Courtney

Plants decumbent from creeping stems and rooting from old leaf axils, 180–430 mm long, leafy shoots erect. Stem 2.7–4.0 mm in diameter when fresh, 3.2–4.4 mm in diameter when dry, green to purple-brown when fresh, purple-brown when dry, branches 1–4 per plant, most commonly unbranched or with a single branch; leafy parts of the plants or branches 70–180 mm long, shoots terete, shoots 10.0–13.5 in diameter when fresh, 8–11 mm wide when dry. Leaves in the upper leafy section usually imbricate so as to completely hide the stem; distal two-thirds patent to slightly squarrose; 3.7–6.0 mm long, 2.7–3.2 mm wide at widest point, length to width ratio 1.2–2.1; 2.0–2.5 mm wide at narrowest point near leaf base, Ungulate and slightly panduriform, widest above midleaf; apex obtuse, leaf slightly cupped and thickened near the apex; adaxially mid-yellow-green, matt when dry, abaxially dull mid-green without purple tinting; median stripe indistinct, stomata forming a zone each side of median stripe at midleaf and not extending to the margin; leaf margin verrucose and uneven in the upper third of the leaf, a conspicuous hyaline border 0.15–0.20 mm wide on all margins; a small, inconspicuous, raised hydathode on upper leaf surface near the apex just below the hyaline border, green or brown when fresh and dry.

Flowering stems 1–3 per plant. Peduncle red-brown, dark red-brown near the flowers, yellow-green at the base, 38–77 mm long, 0.50–0.64 mm in diameter. Flowers (1)2–3 per peduncle, the flowers on pedicels arising symmetrically from the peduncle. Bract 2.8–3.7 mm long, 1.3–1.9 mm wide, narrowly ovate, green with slight purple tinting at the apices, margins with scattered hyaline hairs, the longest hairs 180–200 pm long. Bracteoles 3.7–4.2 mm long, 1.3–1.8 mm wide, hairs 180–350 pm long. Pedicel 0.5–1.0 mm long, red-brown. Ovary 1.8–3.2 mm long, green or tinted red-brown. Sepals 6(–8), subequal, the largest 3.3–4.5 mm long, 1.4–1.7 mm wide, green with some red-brown tinting near the apex, apex without a visible hydathode, hairs present along the upper half of the margins or at the apex, the longest hairs 200–270 pm long. Corolla 7.8–9.5 mm long; lobes equal, 6(–8) per flower, 5.3–7.0 mm long, 3.5–5.0 mm wide, apex obtuse, entire, outer surface mammillose due to inflated cells; white with a complete ring of crimson speckles extending from level with the sinuses to 2 mm above each sinus, tube interior white or pale green, lobe sinuses yellow or hyaline; 2 strongly raised ridges 1.1–1.3 mm long present at the base of each corolla lobe, the ridges not joining below the corolla lobe sinuses, white with crimson speckling. Nectaries 1.2–1.5 mm long, 0.6–0.8 mm wide at base, narrowly triangular or oblong and slightly bifid at apex, green. Gynostemium 5.0–6.8 mm long, white, stigmas 2, equal, colourless, 0.50–1.4 mm long. Anthers 1.1–1.7 mm long, walls dark purple without a hyaline mouth. Capsules and seeds unknown.

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