Metrosideros bartlettii

Detailed description

Tree up to 30 m with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter, often initially epiphytic on trees or tree ferns; bark pale grey to whitish, spongy, separating into soft flakes, shedding freely; young twigs dark red, 4-angled to rounded and with long-persistent, white spreading hairs. Leaves on petioles 4–5 × 1 mm, lamina 30–50 × 15–26 mm, elliptic to ovate, base cuneate, apex acute to attenuate, often twisted; young leaves pale green to yellow-green, somewhat glossy, petioles, margins and midribs pubescent, with the hairs tending to persist on midribs and petioles; mature leaves dark green above pale beneath, upper surface glossy, veins evident, lower surface glossy, entire vein network evident, oil glands obscure, midrib raised below, impressed above. Inflorescences with 3-4 pairs of cymules, ± densely tomentose, tomentum of spreading white hairs; bracts and bracteoles shedding early during inflorescence maturation; peduncles up to 9 × 1 mm. Flowers white; pedicels up to 3 × 1 mm; hypanthium 2.5-3.0 ×2.0-2.5 mm; sepals triangular, spreading, 1.0–1.5 × 1.0–1.5 mm; petals elliptic to ovate, 2.5–3.0 × 1.8–2.0 mm; stamens 5–9 mm long; style 10–11 mm long. Fruit hypanthium puberulent, 2.0–2.5 × 2.5–3.0 mm, sepals persistent, deflexed, capsules exserted for 1.5–2.5 mm. Seeds pale orange-yellow, 2.3–3.0 mm long, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong, straight or slightly curved.