7. P. arenaria, A. Cunn. in Bot. Mag. t. 8270.—An erect or spreading rarely procumbent shrub 9–30 in. high; branches stout, strict, erect or ascending, simple or dichotomously or corymbosely branched above, densely clothed with long silvery white appressed silky hairs. Leaves opposite and decussate, close-set or remote, not usually imbricating, spreading or deflexed, ¼–½ in. long, elliptic-oblong to broadly oblong-ovate or almost orbicular, obtuse or subacute, flat, coriaceous, veinless, glabrous or sparsely pilose above, densely clothed with shining silky appressed hairs beneath; floral leaves rather larger and broader. Flowers in compact 5–15-flowered heads at the tips of the branches, white, polygamodiœcious. Perianth shaggy with white silky hairs, ⅕–¼ in. long; tube short; lobes oblong, obtuse; females smaller, with a broader base. Anthers oblong. Fruit baccate, rather large.—Precur. n. 347; Raoul, Choix, 42; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 221; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 244. Passerina villosa, Thunb. in Mus. Acad. Upsal. xiii. 106. Gymnococca arenaria, Fisch. and Mey. Ind. Sem. Hort. Petrop. x. (1845) 47.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant on sand-dunes on all the coasts. Aute-taranga; Toroheke. November–March.
A most beautiful plant, at once recognised by the copious white silky hairs on the branches and undersurface of the leaves. According to Mr. Colenso, the berries were formerly eaten by the Natives, who also used the inner bark of the branches for preparing cloth-like strips for fastening up their hair.
8. P. lævigata, Gærtn. Fruct. i. 186, t. 39, f. 1.—A small prostrate or suberect much-branched shrub; branches scarred, stout or slender, long or short, from 4 or 6 in. to 2 ft. long; the younger ones usually more or less pubescent or sometimes glabrate, seldom white with villous hairs as in P. Urvilleana; bark dark-brown or reddishbrown. Leaves sometimes crowded and quadrifariously imbricate, at other times laxly placed, erect or spreading or deflexed, 110–13 in. long, lanceolate or linear-oblong to elliptic-oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse or acute, flat or concave, nerveless or the midrib prominent beneath, usually glabrous on both surfaces; floral leaves rather larger and broader. Flowers in few- or many-flowered heads at the tips of the branches, small, white, polygamo-diœcious. Perianth ⅛–¼ in. long, more or less silky-villous or pilose, the females smaller and narrower than the males. Fruit usually baccate, white, ovoid, acute.—P. prostrata, Willd. Sp. Plant. i. 51; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 174; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 346; Raoul, Choix, 42; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 220; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 244. P. rugulosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxi. (1889) 102. P. microphylla, P. bicolor, and P. heterophylla, Col. l.c. xxii. (1890) 484–486. Passerina prostrata, Forst. Prodr. n. 172. Cookia prostrata, Gmel. Syst. 24.
