Robust scrambling shrub; primocanes arching, purple, sharply angled and ± flat between, with few subsessile glands, few long-stalked glands when young, and sparsely to moderately clothed in stellate hairs; armature of few, short, erect or slightly deflexed prickles on angles and sometimes a few pricklets. Leaflets 5, sparsely pilose on upper surface, pilose on veins but lacking tomentum on lower surface, serrate; terminal leaflet lamina elliptic to obovate, rounded to short-acuminate or mucronate apex, up to 80 × 60 mm, with petiole c. 1/4 length of lamina. Stipules lanceolate to narrow-elliptic. Infl. densely hairy, with subsessile and numerous long-stalked glands and pricklets. Sepals long-acuminate, tomentose, but usually sparsely so except on margins, and with longer simple hairs, with many pricklets. Petals rounded, smooth, pale pink. Anthers hairy.
[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]
Flowering: Dec.–Jan.