Notelaea apetala
Common names
coastal maire
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Small hard tree bearing pairs of leathery dark green glossy wavy leaves that are pale green underneath inhabiting coastal forest in the northern North Island. Leaves 5–11 cm long. Fruit purpleish, oval, in loose clusters.
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
Stout spreading dioecious (?gynodioecious) tree up to 10 m. tall; trunk up to 1 m diameter, sometimes several arising from base, these often twisted; bark firm (not flaking), often deeply furrowed, grey to grey-brown, tessellated. Branches spreading, often tortuous. Branchlets glabrous. Leaves glabrous, coriaceous, dark glossy green above, paler and dull below, margins undulate, somewhat waxy, midrib prominent on both surfaces, yellow; petioles stout, rigid 8–15 mm long; lamina of juveniles 50–120 × 40–90 mm, broad-oblong to ovate, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneatelty narrowed; of adults 50–80 × 40–70 mm, elliptic-oblong to ovate-elliptic, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneately narrowed. Inflorescence a slender 10–18-flowered raceme 30–45 mm long, rhachis and pedicels, stout glabrous. Flowers 2.5–2.9 mm diameter, greenish to greenish-yellow; males, females (and very rarely apparently perfect flowers) on very slender pedicles; calyx unequally deeply cleft, ovate, subacuminate; males with 2 large exserted anthers, ovary rudimentary or functional; female flower with 2 rudimentary anthers, ovary with large 2-lobed stigma. Drupe 10–18 mm long, oblong-ovoid, flesh dark pink, red or purple-black to maroon (flesh somewhat oily); endocarp 9.0–15 ×5.5–8.5 mm, dull, pale orange-yellow, elliptic to narrowly elliptic (and slightly compressed. Seed 1–(2) per endocarp, elliptic, purple-brown.
Similar taxa
Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) is commonly confused with Nestegis apetala from which it differs by its much larger paniculate inflorescences, white flowers and much smaller (3–6 mm long) fruits. Notelaea apetala could be confused with white maire (Nestegis lanceolata), which very occasionally grows with N. apetala in northern coastal forest. White maire differs by its much narrower (up to 30 mm wide) narrow- to ovate-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic leaves whose midrib is adaxially deeply impressed. Canary Island olive (Picconia excelsa, Oleaceae) when vegetative or fruiting has a strong similarity to Notelaea apetala such that it is occasionally (and one assumes “accidentally”) sold as this species. This tree is uncommon in New Zealand being most often seen in parks, street plantings, school grounds and plant collections in northern New Zealand. When flowering it is easily recognised as it has flowers with large prominent white or pink-white petals.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (northern areas including offshore islands from the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands south to Hauturu Island near Whangamata; especially common on the Poor Knights Islands and Fanal Island (Motukino)—on the latter of which it forms a distinct, pure forest type). Also Norfolk Island.
Habitat
Strictly coastal. Inhabiting coastal forest often along the exposed margins, also on rocky slopes, cliff faces, talus slopes and exposed ridgelines, as well as forming a minor subcanopy in closed forest. Notelaea apetala is often an important component of northern offshore island forests where it co-habits with pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), tawāpou (Planchonella costata), coastal māhoe (Melicytus novaezelandiae), Streblus spp. (especially S. banksii), houpara (Pseudopanax lessonii) and whau (Entelea arborescens).
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: CD, PD, TO
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Olea apetala Vahl; Olea endlicheri F.Muell.; Gymnelaea apetala (Vahl) L.A.S.Johnson; Nestegis elliptica Raf. nom. illeg.; Nestegis apetala (Vahl) L.A.S.Johnson
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–January
Fruiting
January–April
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed. An attractive though frost-sensitive small tree that makes an excellent specimen tree for a large garden or street avenue. Once established, Nestegis apetala is extremely tolerant of drought, strong winds and salt burn. It does well in large tubs and in raised gardens. Plants do best when planted in semi-shade in a position where they can grow into the light but are remarkably tolerant of being planted into full sun. Aside from its cold sensitivity this is an ideal tree for coastal situations and it deserves to be grown more widely than it is.
Other information
Plant of the Month
This plant has been featured as a Plant of the Month – see Trilepidea: NZPCN newsletter for June 2013 for the full story.
Etymology
apetala: From the Latin prefix a- ‘without’ and petalum ‘petal’,
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
NESAPE
Chromosome number
2n = 46
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Relict | Qualifiers: PD, SO
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Threatened – Regionally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: CD, DPS, DPT, PF, Rel, TO
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan HH. 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume I. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 1085 p.
Webb CJ, Simpson MJA. 2001. Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch. 428 p.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 9 February 2011. Description adapted from Allan (1961) and Webb & Simpson (2001).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Notelaea apetala Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/notelaea-apetala/ (Date website was queried)