Epacris sinclairii

The plant was first described as Epacris sinclairii in 1864 by Joseph Dalton Hooker, based on specimens collected by Andrew Sinclair. Hooker named the species after Sinclair. In the 1906 Manual of the New Zealand flora, Thomas Cheeseman described Sinclair's tamingi as Epacris pauciflora var. sinclairii, This was the preferred nomenclature until 2002, when Peter de Lange and Brian Grant Murray argued that Sinclair's tamingi should be recognised as a species due to morphological differences, growth pattern differences, that E. pauciflora and E. sinclairii are occasionally sympatric, and their differing preferred habitats. Genetic analysis indicates that E. sinclairii is closely related to E. pauciflora. == Description ==

Hooker's original text (the type description) reads as follows: E. sinclairii is a woody shrub that has small, hard leaves with the widest section in the middle. The undersides of the leaves have three dark green lines, and paler green tips. The species' flowers are typically white, but may be red or pink. ==Ecology==

The species typically flowers in April, and fruits between May and July. == Distribution and habitat ==

The species is endemic to New Zealand, known from two locations: the Mount Hobson massif of central Great Barrier Island, and the Upper Kauaeranga Valley of the Coromandel Peninsula. E. sinclairii grows exclusively in rhyolitic soil, typically found in high elevation humid forest and surrounding areas, and can occasionally be an epiphyte. E. sinclairii often grows in kauri-dominated forests. Historic kauri logging in New Zealand may be a reason for the species' restricted range. == References ==