Kunzea tenuicaulis

Detailed description

Decumbent, trailing subshrubs, shrubs or small trees 0.1–8.0 × 2.0–8.0 m. For those specimens with a tree habit, crown widely spreading, often arching to pendulous. For those specimens found around active fumaroles or on open, geothermally heated ground, growth habit varying from completely decumbent and densely branched, with stems sprawling across ground, to semi-erect, densely branched, widely spreading, often pendulous. Trunk in tree forms 0.1–0.6 m d.b.h., at first erect, soon widely spreading and curving to somewhat sinuous, branching close to base, thinning in close canopies only; in decumbent plants trunk virtually indistinguishable, trailing to semi-erect, curved and somewhat sinuous. Bark greyish brown to brown, initially firm, elongate, over time cracking transversely with margins gradually detaching and rolling-in, upper bark surface often with much secondary peeling and transverse cracking. Branches narrow, long, flexuous, in decumbent plants prostrate, trailing, widely spreading, and arching, pendulous; branchlets slender, leafy; indumentum dense, hairs divergent, 0.03–0.08 mm. Leaves heterophyllous, seedling and subadult leaves 0.9–4.5 × 0.2–0.6 mm, red-green or bright green; lamina finely linear-lanceolate, long persistent in stressed habitats; adult leaves 1.1–10.0 × 0.8–2.8 mm, dark glossy green, to bronze-green, oblanceolate, obovate to obovate-rostrate; usually recurved from about ½ of total length, apex obtuse, rounded, rarely subacute, cuspidate; base attenuate; lamina margin sparsely to densely, finely sericeous; hairs appressed to weakly spreading, white, aligned in 1 row not quite meeting at cuspidate leaf apex. Inflorescence a compact, 1–10-flowered corymbiform botryum up to 25 mm long; axis densely invested with divergent hairs. Pherophylls deciduous, 0.5–1.0 mm long, initially foliose soon squamiform; foliose pherophylls pale green, oblong, oblong-obovate to oblanceolate; squamiform pherophylls brown or pink, broadly deltoid to oblong-ovate, glabrous except for the finely ciliate margin and apex. Pedicels 1.0–2.4 mm long at anthesis, finely hairy. Flower buds clavate to pyriform, apex distinctly domed prior to bud burst, calyx valves ± meeting. Flowers 3.3–9.0 mm diam. Hypanthium 1.8–3.3 × 1.7–3.1 mm, dark green often basally mottled red, drying brown to grey; narrowly cupular to campanulate terminating in a slightly thicker rim bearing five persistent calyx lobes; surface smooth, puberulent. Calyx lobes 5, upright, 0.4–0.8 × 0.4–1.0 mm, oblong, oblong-ovate to broadly triangular, ± subtended by a faint to prominent groove at the external junction with the hypanthium. Receptacle green or pale pink at anthesis, darkening to crimson-red or magenta after fertilisation. Petals 5–6, 1.4–2.0 × 1.4–2.0 mm, white, pinkish white, or pink, orbicular, cuneate, apex obtuse to rotund, oil glands not evident when fresh, drying colourless. Stamens 10–32 in 1–2 weakly defined whorls, filaments white tinged rose-pink toward base. Anthers 0.04–0.08 × 0.02–0.04 mm, testiculate, latrorse. Pollen white. Anther connective gland prominent, orange when fresh, drying pale brown, spheroidal, distinctly papillate. Ovary 3–5 locular, each with 15–22 ovules in two rows on each placental lobe. Style 2.0–3.6 mm long, white; stigma capitate, scarcely wider than style, pale cream to pink, surface papillate to rugulose. Fruits ± persistent, 1.0–3.3 × 1.6–3.2 mm, light brown to grey, usually barrel-shaped, rarely cupular. Seeds 0.80–1.00 × 0.45–0.50 mm, narrowly oblong, oblong, oblong-obovate to falcate-oblong, orange-brown, surface coarsely reticulate.