Pimelea declivis C.J.Burrows

A much-branched shrub, erect, suberect or decumbent, up to 50 cm high and 60 cm wide. Branching mainly sympodial. Young branchlets light brown, moderately densely covered in short, appressed hairs; internodes 2–3 mm long, older stems brown to grey, some up to 3 cm in diameter. Node buttresses lunate, not prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, ascending, becoming patent, on short (0.3–0.5 mm) often red petioles. Lamina medium glaucous–green, ovate or elliptic, 5–14 × 2–3.5 mm, flat or slightly keeled; tip acute, but blunt-pointed; base cuneate; abaxial surface with sparse hairs, mainly along margins and mid-vein, near tip; older leaves glabrous; stomata on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, 4–14-flowered; involucral bracts 4, usually broader than ordinary leaves (12 × 5 mm), not hiding the flowers. Receptacle covered with abundant short hair. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white, scented, on short (0.8 mm) pedicels, densely hairy outside, inside sparsely hairy in tube and ovary portion. ♀ tube 3.5 mm long, ovary portion 3 mm, calyx lobes 2 × 1.6 mm; ♀ tube 6 mm long, ovary portion 2.5 mm, calyx lobes 3 × 2 mm. Anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary wall thin, summit very hairy. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, red 5 × 3 mm. Seeds narrow–ovoid 2.8 × 1.5 mm, thin crest. Flowering spring–summer–autumn.

[Reproduced from Burrows (2011, New Zealand J. Bot. 49: 41–106) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]