Pimelea villosa Sol. ex Sm.

A medium-sized to large, much-branched, erect to decumbent, sometimes prostrate shrub; stems stout to slender, flexible to stiff, to 1.5 m long, usually shorter, sometimes developing adventitious roots if buried by sand. Young branchlets densely covered in short to long, white, or rarely yellowish, appressed hair. internode length 0.8-10 mm; older stems sparsely hairy, or hairless, brown. Node buttresses short (0.25 mm), lunate, glabrous, or with short hairs, but masked by internode hair on young stems; not prominent on leafless stems. Leaves decussate, ascendant or patent, then often deflexed, imbricate or distant, on short (0.2-0.8 mm) often red petioles. lamina 5-15 mm long × 3-7 mm wide, broad-elliptic to broad-ovate, flat; obtuse, or acute, base cuneate. Adaxial side of leaf glaucous to medium green, usually glabrous, but young leaves sometimes sparsely hairy, adaxially. Abaxial sides and margins are densely covered by appressed white to dull white or sometimes yellowish hair; midvein not prominent. Stomata on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces.

Inflorescences terminal on branchlets, 3-7-flowered. in some individuals grouped in clusters of 2 or more. Receptacles very hairy. involucral bracts 4, of similar size to, or smaller than, adjacent ordinary leaves (8-10 × 5-7 mm), broad-elliptic to broad-ovate, densely hairy abaxially, usually glabrous adaxially but sometimes with a few hairs on that side. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers white or sometimes cream, on short pedicels (0.5 mm); tube and calyx lobes very hairy outside, inside hairless or with a few hairs in the ovary portion, lobes open in ascendant or salverform fashion. ♀ tube 4-5.5 mm long, ovary portion 3-4.5 mm, calyx lobes 2.2 × 2 mm; ☿ tube 5-7 mm, ovary portion 3.5-5 mm, calyx lobes 2.5-2.7 × 2-2.5 mm. Anther filaments short, inserted at mouth of tube; anther dehiscence introrse. Ovary partly or completely hair-covered. Fruits ovoid, fleshy, dark purple-black, red, pink or white, opaque, 5.2 × 4.2 mm. The tube breaks off irregularly as the fruit ripens. Seeds 4 × 2.2 mm. Flowering time spring-summer.

[Reproduced from Burrows (2009, New Zealand J. Bot. 47: 325-354) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]