Kunzea linearis (Kirk) de Lange & Toelken

(Figs 30, 31, 32). Growth habit erect shrubs or small trees up to 12 m forming dark green to silvery-grey, erect but more or less rounded, plumose, densely branched canopies up to 2 m diam., sometimes (usually on ultramafic rocks) decumbent and/or trailing. Trunk 1(–4 or more), mostly erect but in trailing specimens distinctly serpentine, 0.10–0.46(-0.60) m d.b.h.; basal portion of trunks initially covered with rather thick, firm, stringy, brown to brownish grey coriaceous bark. Bark early bark firmly coriaceous, dark brown to brown, ± elongate, usually bearing a few transverse cracks (especially on branch flanges and decurrent leaf bases) otherwise remaining firmly attached, margins elongate sinuous, ± entire with scarcely any flaking; old bark similar though more distinctly corky-coriaceous, coarsely tessellated and remaining firmly attached, if detaching then usually doing so along transverse cracks, and peeling inwards to leave distinct layers of chartaceous, lunate, flakes that are centrally attached; flakes usually with highly irregular, frayed and shattered apices, otherwise margins ± entire; upper surface of bark flakes tessellated; upper trunk bark crumbling readily in hand, shattering if pulled hard into numerous, small, tabular flakes. Branches numerous, usually present from close to or at trunk base, but becoming progressively confined with age to the upper half of trunk; ascending to upright, very rarely spreading (usually in decumbent plants), usually distinctly plumose and often bearing old fruits; branchlets numerous, plumose, rather slender, ± quadrangular to subterete, leaves crowded along stems; branchlets sericeous, indumentum copious, hairs antrorse-appressed, weakly flexuose, up to 0.68 mm long, hyaline to translucent (appearing silvery when young, maturing silver-grey). Vegetative buds inconspicuous, usually obscured from view by surrounding leaves; at resting stage 0.2–0.8 mm diam. narrowly ovoid; scales deciduous; (0.2–)1.2 mm long, stramineous to pale brown, broadly ovate-lanceolate grading through lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate; midrib strongly keeled, prolonged to apiculate tip, often with one prominent row of 2–6 oil glands on either side of midrib; scales initially completely obscured by long silky silvery-white hairs, becoming glabrate, with hairs progressively confined to scale margins, midrib, and keel prolongation. Leaves not heterophyllous, sessile, usually hairy, very rarely glabrous, densely crowded along branchlets, particularly toward apices, initially obliquely ascending, subappressed to suberect, basally often spreading to weakly recurved in distal one-third; lamina (9.3–)12.7(–19.5) × (0.3–)0.7(–1.2) mm, initially silvery-grey (due to dense hair covering), maturing dark green to glaucous green above (as hairs are shed) with a dull not glossy surface, paler beneath; lamina linear, distal one-third sometimes weakly recurved, apex sharply acute, cuspidate, base attenuate (with adaxial surface often glabrous, abaxial densely hairy); adaxial lamina surface flat to weakly concave, glandular punctate, with oil glands evident when fresh or dry (though more conspicuous when dry), up to c.300, midrib very slightly raised near base, otherwise only evident for c. one-third of length as a conspicuous line of silvery-grey antrorse-appressed, silky hairs up to 0.8 mm long; abaxial surface flat to weakly convex, glandular punctate, oil glands up to 300; midrib raised for entire length, densely sericeous to just short of leaf apex, hairs as for adaxial midrib and lamina margins; lamina margins copiously covered in silvery-grey hairs, these forming a thick band and fusing with the abaxial midrib hairs just short of lamina apex, and along decurrent leaf bases. Perules deciduous, (0.3–)1.8(–2.3) mm long, straminaceous to pale brown, narrowly ovate, ovate-lanceolate grading through to narrowly lanceolate; midrib strongly keeled, cuspidate, with an obscure row of 2–8 oil glands on either side of midrib; lamina initially obscured by long silky silvery-white hairs, becoming glabrate, with hairs progressively confined to scale margins, midrib, and keel prolongation. Inflorescence mostly compact, spiciform (3–)8(–12)-flowered botrya 20–80 mm long; usually on brachyblasts with the terminal shoot either bearing a slightly longer (up to 180 mm) compact 6–15-flowered, spiciform botryum, or a greatly elongated, spiciform, 10–40-flowered botryum up to 180 mm long. Flowers of smaller botrya crowded, those of elongated botrya regularly spaced up to 20 mm apart; terminal portion of both short and elongated spiciform botrya inflorescence types often bearing undeveloped flowers and active vegetative growth. Inflorescence axis densely invested in antrorse-appressed, weakly flexuose, silky hairs. Pherophylls persistent, leaf-like, 1–2 per flower, closely clasping hypanthium base, usually hairy, very rarely glabrous; lamina (6.0–)9.8(–12.8) × (0.9–)1.8(–2.2) mm, dark silvery-green, silvery-grey or glaucous (depending one extent of hair covering), linear to linear-falcate; linear-falcate pherophylls with basal portion sharply bent almost at right angles to inflorescence axis, otherwise obliquely ascending to suberect, or spreading; apex acute, base attenuate; adaxial surface usually deeply concave to weakly so, glandular punctate, oil glands up to c.100 (usually fewer); midrib slightly raised near base, otherwise indistinct, bearing antrorse-appressed, silky, hairs for whole length or glabrous; abaxial surface deeply convex, glandular punctate, oil glands up to 100 (usually fewer); midrib scarcely evident especially if glabrous, otherwise mostly evident as a dense line of antrorse-appressed, silky hairs continuing to the apex, lamina margin usually densely covered by antrorse-appressed, sericeous hairs, sometimes glabrous. Pedicels sessile to subsessile, up to 1.2 mm long at anthesis, scarcely elongating after anthesis, terete, copiously invested with silky, antrorse-appressed, weakly flexuose, hairs. Flower buds ovoid, double conic to pyriform, apex sharply erect; calyx lobes pinched at apex inwards, and touching prior to bud burst. Fresh flowers when fully expanded (1.9–)3.9(–5.7) mm diam. Hypanthium (2.0–)2.8(–4.0) × (2.5–)3.4(–4.1) mm, with free portion 0.6–0.9 mm long, silvery-white to silvery-grey due to copious covering of hairs or dark red-green if glabrous; barrel-shaped, cupular or narrowly campanulate, terminating in scarcely defined chartaceous rim bearing 5 persistent sharply erect calyx lobes; hypanthium surface smooth, usually completely covered in a dense covering of long, silky, antrorse-appressed silvery hairs; ribs scarcely evident. Calyx lobes 5, erect, subcoriaceous, (1.0–)1.3(–1.6) × (0.2–)0.4(–0.6) mm, persistent, narrowly deltoid to deltoid with acute tips, red-green, weakly keeled or not, lobes densely covered in long, silky, silvery, antrorse-appressed, hairs or glabrous; margins green flushed pink or red, oil glands evident only in glabrous forms, rather inconspicuous, ± colourless. Receptacle green or pink at anthesis, usually darkening to crimson after fertilisation. Petals 5(–6), (0.9–)1.4(–2.0) × (0.7–)1.4(–1.9) mm, cream, pale pink or cream basally flushed pink, narrowly ovate to suborbicular, suberect, upper one-third sometimes weakly recurved, apex rounded, margins ± finely and irregularly crumpled, sometimes denticulate, oil glands colourless. Stamens 32–46(–60) in 1–2 weakly defined whorls, arising from receptacular rim, filaments cream. Antipetalous stamens (2–)3(–6) sometimes petaloid, antisepalous (3–)4(–7). Outermost antipetalous stamens initially erect with the upper portion often incurved, more rarely outcurved, on filaments 1.2–1.8 mm long, inner stamen if present, 0.9–1.6 mm, erect or incurved, often a further 1–3 stamens, of similar length to inner stamens may be present at the base of the outermost antipetalous pair. Antisepalous stamens shorter than outermost antipetalous stamens, 0.8–1.0 mm, erect or weakly to strongly incurved, rarely outcurved, usually in mixtures of both. Anthers dorsifixed, 0.04–0.06 × 0.02–0.04 mm, testiculate, latrorse. Pollen white (13.2–)16.2(–21.0) μm. Anther connective gland prominent, pale pink or golden-yellow when fresh, drying yellow to pale orange, spheroidal, finely to coarsely papillate. Ovary (3–)4(–5) locular, each with 18–26(–30) ovules in two rows on each placental lobe. Style 0.8–2.0 mm long at anthesis, elongating after anthesis, cream or pale pink; stigma narrowly capitate, as wide as, or slightly wider than style, ± flat, greenish-white or pink, flushing red after anthesis, surface finely granular-papillate. Fruits long persistent, (1.6–)2.3(–2.9) × (2.3–)3.0(–4.1) mm, initially silvery-white or silvery-grey due to dense hair covering, maturing grey-brown to grey-black depending on degree of hair loss, sometimes completely glabrous in which case dark brown; in all types fading with age to pale grey in exposed situations or grey-black in shade, barrel-shaped to narrowly obconic, rarely campanulate to cupular, calyx valves prominently erect, splits concealed by dried, erect, free portion of hypanthium. Seeds 0.50–1.00(–1.10) × 0.48–0.63(–0.70) mm, obovoid, oblong, oblong-ellipsoid, or cylindrical and ± curved; usually curved near apex, laterally compressed, 2–3-angled with convex to flattened faces, apex rounded to subacute; base oblique, ± flattened; testa semi-glossy, orange-brown to dark brown, surface coarsely reticulate. FL: (Jul–)Nov–Jan(–May). FT: Jun–May. Chromosome Number 2n = 22 (see de Lange and Murray 2004).

(Fig. 33). Endemic. New Zealand, North Island (sea level – 310 m a.s.l.). Recorded from Te Paki south to the Ahipara Gumlands and the Karikari Peninsula. South of there it is sporadic and mainly coastal to the Waitemata Harbour. Also present on the western side of Aotea (Great Barrier Island), the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula (near Tairua), on the western margin of the Hauraki Plains just north of Kaihere, and within the foothills of the Hapuakohe Range. South of there Kunzea linearis is known only from a single, highly disjunct collection made by A. P. Druce (CHR 132842) from near Mt Kupukore, in the northern Wairarapa. Although I have seen no other specimens from the southern half of the North Island, I accept this record, because the collector A.P. [Tony] Druce, was a well known, cautious botanical explorer not prone to making labelling errors, and with a critical eye for the unusual (Atkinson 1999). Also, at the time of that specimen’s collection in May 1965, Druce was unfamiliar with Kunzea linearis (he had labelled his specimen ‘Leptospermum ericoides’). In fact it was not until May 1987, 22 years later that he made his next herbarium collection of Kunzea linearis from Ahipara (CHR 469707), and that gathering Druce labelled as an ‘unnamed’ species (Kunzea “Ahipara” (Druce 1993)), apparently not realising that it already had a formal name within the genus. Although subsequent searches of Mt Kupukore made at my request in 2007 by Mr Pat Enright (in litt.) failed to find Kunzea linearis there, hybrids between it and Kunzea robusta were present, suggesting its past, or continuing presence in the area.

Kunzea linearis, also known by the Maori name rawiri manuka, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It is a densely-foliaged shrub or small tree, characterised by very narrow leaves and clusters of small white flowers with five petals and a large number of stamens, which are longer than the petals. It grows in the north of the North Island and is the most distinctive of the New Zealand kunzeas.