Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Tribe: Oleeae
Genus: Nestegis
Species: N. montana
Binomial name: Nestegis montana
Common name: Narrow-leaved maire, Maire rororo
Nestegis montana is a canopy tree up to 15 m tall with a trunk up to 50 cm in diameter. It can occasionally bear 2 or more trunks from base these being slender and straight with grey-brown firm bark.
The twigs are very slender.
The adult leaves are 7 cm long and 6 mm wide and are narrow with points. They are dark glossy green above, paler beneath. Green flowers which are bisexual are on non branched inflorescences which grow from the leaf axils. They appear from spring to summer and bright red fruit appear from summer to autumn.
It grows in the North Island from near Kaitaia south to the Waimea Plain in Nelson. It is scarce in the southern North Island (where it is most common in the eastern Wairarapa) and is very rare in the South Island. The Department of Conservation has recorded a small number growing near Kaikoura, there is an unsubstantiated report of the trees occurring in the Pelorus Valley near Havelock and five only remain at Waimea West near Nelson.
Where N. montana grows it is widespread though rarely abundant in coastal to montane forests. Often found on steep hill slopes and ridgelines but also can be locally common in riparian forest especially on the margins of forest flats and tomo or dolines in karst country. Narrow-leaved maire is unusually common on the sand country of the Pouto Peninsula where it can at times dominate the local coastal forest. In Taranaki, it is growing on Mt Egmont/Taranaki and Rotokare Scenic Reserve.
Young leaves
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
