Found in scree shrub land just below Kowhai Saddle in the coastal Kaikoura Range, growing with Three Finger (Pseudopanax colensoi var ternatum), Dracophyllum longifolium, and other mountain scrub shrubs.
Leaves small and succulent looking until looked at the base of the leaves to find that really the leaves are tightly curled, forming a succulent appearance. The bark is gray and flaking off in long jagged strips, giving a shaggy, dead wood appearance despite being covered in leaves and clearly thriving.