Perennial shrubs or small trees; all hairs biramous, multicellular, almost sessile or with a very short stalk, and 2 elongated unequal arms, usually parallel to the lamina surface (hence T-shaped), or sometimes ascending from lamina surface (hence Y-shaped), hairs present on stems, leaves, inflorescences and flowers. Leaves alternate or fascicled on short branches (brachyblasts), simple, usually petiolate; leaf margin crenate, dentate or entire; stipules absent. Inflorescences axillary or terminal panciles, racemes or cymose fascicles, or sometimes flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, often small. Sepals 5 (–8), connate at base, persistent in fruit. Petals 5 (–8), variously interpreted as connate at base or free, often with fringed appendages (coralline ligules) attached near base of each petal on adaxial surface, yellow (Corokia) or white. Stamens as many as petals, antesepalous; filaments free; anthers elongate or elongate-ovate, dorsifixed, introrse, tetrasporangiate, dithecal, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Disc absent or present (in Corokia), pulvinate and often bright orange. Gynoecium of 2–4 connate carpels. Ovary inferior or semi-inferior (in Argophyllum the ovary is semi-inferior at anthesis but inferior early in development), with 1–6 locules; placentation axile; styles 1, apical, simple; stigma capitate or indistinctly 2–5-lobed. Ovules 1 (in Corokia) or 50–60 (in Argophyllum) per locule. Fruit a loculicidal capsule (Argophyllum) or drupe (Corokia). Seeds small, obovate or ellipsoidal and the surface with a coarse reticulate pattern (Argophyllum) or seeds spindle-shaped (Corokia); endosperm fleshy; embryo minute or large and elongate.
Three New Zealand species of Corokia and cultivars of the hybrid C. ×virgata are cultivated in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom for the interesting tangled habit and leaf shape (Hutchins 1994, HortFlora 2019, Christenhusz et al. 2017). Argophyllum nullumense (Silver Leaf) is cultivated by some Australian nurseries as a foliage plant (Hutchins 1994, Kårehed 2007, HortFlora 2019).
Home