Kunzea salterae, also known by the Maori name moutohora kanuka,[1] is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Moutohora Island in New Zealand. It is a much-branched shrub or small spreading tree with needle-like leaves, sprays of white flowers and small cup-shaped or urn-shaped fruit.
Kunzea salterae is a densely-branched shrub or small tree which grows to a height of NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 with a pendulous or spreading crown NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The flowers are white and arranged in groups of between two and eight and the individual flowers are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 in diameter on pedicels NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The five sepals are triangular, about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and wide and the five petals are more or less round, about 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and wide. Flowering occurs between August and April and the fruit is a dry, cup-shaped to urn-shaped capsule NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide.[2]
Kunzea salterae was first formally described in 2014 by Peter James de Lange and the description was published in PhytoKeys. The specific epithet (salterae) honours Josh Salter (born 1946) of Auckland.
This kunzea grows in shrubland and regenerating forest on Moutohora Island.
Kunzea salterae is listed as "threatened - nationally vulnerable" under the New Zealand threat classification series 3.