n = 21

2n = 42

n = 21

Subshrub, (5–)10–30(–45) cm tall. Old stems brown or red-brown or grey. Branches prostrate to erect. Branchlets brown or red-brown. Vegetative internodes (5–)8–20(–70) mm long. Stem pubescence bifarious (in dense narrow band of rustcoloured or dirty white antrorsely curved hairs) or uniform (rarely) or absent (rarely), eglandular pubescent. Leaves decussate or subdistichous (on prostrate stems), erecto-patent or spreading or recurved. Lamina linear or lanceolate or oblanceolate or ovate or obovate or oblong or elliptic or orbicular or deltoid or rhomboid, (5–)15–30(–100) × (1.5–)5–15(– 25) mm. Adaxial surface of leaves green or bronze green or light green or dark green, glossy or dull. Abaxial surface of leaves green or bronze green or pale green or pinkish, dull. Leaf hairs sparse or scattered or absent, along midrib above, uniseriate eglandular and glandular with short 1-celled stalk and small vertically divided head. Apex acute or subacute or acuminate. Base cuneate or subcordate or cordate. Margin glabrous, serrate. Marginal teeth or lobes in (1–)2–10(–15) pairs. Petiole 1–4(–6) mm long. Inflorescence racemose, unbranched, (3–)10– 20(–35) cm long at fruiting, with (4–)10–25(–30) flowers. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels absent to very dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence erecto-patent or patent or antrorse, white or colourless or rust brown. Peduncle (1.5–)4– 7(–12) cm long, glabrous or eglandular-pubescent or eglandular-puberulent (rarely). Rachis (1.5–)6– 14 cm long, glabrous (rarely) or eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent (in a few localities: Coromandel, Waikato, Tongariro National Park; Puketoi Ra.; Tararua, Rimutaka, Aorangi Ranges (alpine)), hairs in 1 row above each bract or all around rachis. Bracts alternate (spiralled), obtuse (rarely) or subacute or acute or acuminate, eglandular-hairy abaxially (rarely) or glandular ciliate (rarely) or eglandular ciliate or glabrous (rarely), linear or lanceolate or elliptic or ovate or narrowly deltoid. Bract margins entire. Pedicels erecto-patent at anthesis, straight at fruiting or incurved at fruiting, 5–15(–25) mm long, rarely glabrous or eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent (rarely); hairs all around pedicel. Flowers: Calyx 4- lobed, (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm long. Calyx lobes linear or lanceolate or elliptic or ovate or obovate or oblong, acuminate to obtuse. Calyx hairs absent (calyx glabrous) or on margins only or on abaxial surface, eglandular or glandular or mixed eglandular and glandular. Calyx lobe margins entire. Corolla white at anthesis. Nectar guides evident, present on posterior and lateral corolla lobes. Colour ring and nectar guides magenta. Corolla throat yellow. Corolla 8– 12(–15) mm diam. Corolla tube (0.5–)1–1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, hairy inside, hairs short or hairs papillate. Corolla lobes glabrous. Posterior corolla lobe circular or elliptic (rarely), obtuse or emarginate (sometimes) or divided in two (rarely), (4–)5–6(–7) × (2–)4–6(–6.5) mm. Lateral corolla lobes circular or oblong (broadly), obtuse, longitudinally folded around stamens, (4–)5–6(–8) × (2–)6–7(–7.5) mm. Anterior corolla lobe elliptic or oblong or linear, subacute or obtuse, (3.5–)4–6(–8) × (1.5–)2–3 mm. Stamen filaments white, (2–)3–4 mm long, narrowed at base. Anthers pink or magenta, 0.8–1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliolate. Ovary ellipsoid, subacute or obtuse, glabrous, 0.8–1 mm long. Style (3.5–)4– 5(–7) mm long. Stigma (0.2–)0.3–0.4 mm wide. Capsules xerochastic, broadly angustiseptate (i.e., weakly flattened), emarginate, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4.5) × (2.5–)3–4 mm, 2.5–3.5 mm thick, glabrous. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base. Loculicidal split of capsule extending 1⁄3–1⁄2 way to base. Seeds approx. 20–35 per locule, strongly flattened, smooth-surfaced, obovoid or discoid, straw yellow or pale brown or brown, (0.5–)0.6–0.9(–1.1) × 0.5–0.8(–0.9) mm.