An erect much-branched shrub up to 80 cm tall and 50–60 cm wide. Branching mainly sympodial and semi-fastigiate. Young branchlets densely covered in appressed white hairs; internodes 1–2 mm long. Older stems glabrate, darker brown to black. Node buttresses small (0.3 mm long) lunate, masked by hairs on young branchlets, not prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, ascending, loosely imbricate, on very short petioles (0.3 mm) or sessile. Lamina broad elliptic or broad ovate, 5–8×2.5–5 mm, densely covered on both surfaces with appressed, short, white hairs, adaxially concave, mid-vein obscure, acute, base cuneate. Stomata on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, 5–10 flowered, sometimes in small groups. Receptacle with dense, short hairs. Involucral bracts 4, larger than adjacent leaves (to 7×3 mm). Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white, scented, on short (0.2 mm) pedicels, very hairy outside, inside hairless. ♀ tube 3.5 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 1.2×1.2 mm; tube 6 mm long, ovary portion 2 mm, calyx lobes 3×1.5 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary with a tuft of hairs at summit. Fruits fleshy, (white) or red, ovoid 4.2×3.5 mm. Seeds 2.5×1.7 mm. Flowering spring–summer.
[Reproduced from Burrows (2011, New Zealand J. Bot. 49: 367–412) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]
Flowering: Oct.–Jan.; Fruiting: Oct.–Jan.