FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. [Meliacece.
bous, or subquadrate, containing one round seed half enveloped in a scaiict fleshy arillus. (Name from a\^Krpvav,
a cock, from the resemblance of the scarlet aiillus to a cock’s comb.)
1. Alectryon exeelmm, DC. Prodr. v. 1. p . 617. A. Cumi. Prodr. Hook. Ic. PI. t. 570. Buony-
moides excelsa, Banks et Sol. MSS. et Ic.
H,vb. Noi-tliem and Middle Islands. Bay of Islands, Cimninglmm, etc. East coast. Banks and
Solander. Nat. name, “ Titoki” and “ Titongi” of soutliern parts of North Island, Colenso.
Cunningham says that an oil was once extracted from the seeds, and used for anointing the person ; but that
whale-oil has now superseded it.
Gen. n . DODONÆA, L.
Corolla 0. Stamina 5-00, receptáculo inserta; filamentis brevissimis.
membranacea,
Semina loculis 2
Flores polygami. Sépala 3-5.
2- 5-gonum, 2- 5-loculare; ovubs loculis 2, superimpositis.
2- 5-valvis; valvis dorso alatis, a columna central! erecta persistente alata solutis.
(abortu 1); testa Crustacea.
The only New Zealand speeies is found over a great part of the world, being a native of the Pacific Islands,
Australia, Tasmania, the Indian Archipelago, Arabia, and West Africa. In Asia it extends from Affghanistan to
Cape Comoi-in, in South America from Jamaica to the River Plate on the east coast, and from Mexico to Southern
Peru on the west: it is clüefly a littoral plant, but also found inland. I bebeve it has many botanical names, from
varying considerably in the form of its leaves, and to some extent in that of the wings of the capsule.—In New
Zealand the Dodonaa viscosa forms a small tree, 2-6 feet high, with a very hard wood, variegated black and white,
and viscid yoimg leaves andfrmit; upper branches compressed or angled, smooth, viscid. Leaves altemate, on
short petioles, lineai'-obovate, blunt, sharp or notched, narrowed into a short petiole, smooth, 2-3 inches long.
Flowers in terminal panicles, erect, small, green. SepaU ovate, subacute. Anthers large in proportion to the size of
the flower, almost sessfle. Fruit on elongated slender peduncles, two- to three-valved; valves with broad, rounded,
oblong, membranous, veined wings, i inch long. Seeds with a dark red-hrown testa. (Named in honour- of Samiert
Dodoens, a German botanist of the sLxteenth century.)
1. Dodontea viscosa, Borst.; arbuscula glaberrima, viscosa, foliis obovatis spatbulatis lineari-oblongisvo
in petiolum brevem angustatis, capsula 2-3-alata, abs membranaceis orbiculari-oblongis. lin n . Maui.
Forst. Prodr. DC. Prodr. D. spathulata. Smith. A. Bich. A. Cunn. D. Burmanniana, BC. et Auct.
H a b . Northern and Middle Islands; abundant, especially in dry woods. Banks and Solander, etc.
PI. October. Nat. name, " Nke.,” Colenso.
The hard wood is much prized for clubs by the natives.
N at. O rd . XVI. MELIACEiE, Juss.
Gen. I. HABTIGHSEA, Adr. de .luss.
Calyx <l-6-lobus. Petala 4-5, linearía, valvata, basi cum tubo stamineo obscure coalita. Tubus
stamineus carnosus, oylindraceus, S-10-crenatus; antheris 8-10, ore insertis, inclusis. Discus cylindraceus.
Ovarium S-loculare, locnbs 2-ovulatis; stylo simplici, erecto; stigmate disciformi. Capsula S-5-locularis,
locubcide 3-5-valvis; loculis 2- (abortu 1-) spermis. Semiua arillata.
A large tree, 40-50 feet high. Leaves pinnate. Flowers paniculate. Calyx very small, four- to five-lobed.
Corolla of four to live linear, blunt, valvate petals. Filaments united Into a cylindrical, fleshy, crenate tube, bearing
eight to ten anthers within the mouth. Ovary included within a tubular hypogynous disc, three-oellcd. Style long.
witk a broad stigma.—This genus is confined to the East Indies and Archipelago, New Zealand, the east coast of
New Holland, and Norfolk Island; but no species is common to any two of these localities. (Named probably iu
honour of G. L. Hartig, a French author on forest-trees, etc.)
1. Hartighsea spectabilis, Adr. Ju ss .; foliis glaberrimis imparipinnatis, foliolis 3-5-jugis petiolatis
oblongo-obovatis acuminatis obtusisve integerrimisy paniculis e trunco elongatis laxe ramosis multifloris
pendulis, calyce pedicellisque pubescentibus, capsula obovata plerumque 3-valvi, loculis 2-spermis. Adr.
Jiiss. Mem. Mus. v. 9. p . 227. A. Gunn. Prodr. Hook. Ic. PL 61G et 617- TricMlia, Porst. DC.
A. Rick. T. spectabilis. Banks et Sol. Ic. et MSS.
Ha b . Northern Island; Bay of Islands, and east coast, Banks and Solander. Middle Island, Forster.
Fl. May, June. Nat. name, “ Kobe," Colenso.
This is the only New Zealand species of the genus. The leaves, Mr. Bidwill says, are used as hops, aud a
spirituous infusion of them as a stomacliic. The petioles are a foot or more long. Leaflets petioled, 3-6 inches
long, quite smooth, oblong-obovate. Flowers produced from the trunk, in panicles 8-12 inches long, pale-coloured.
Petals 4 inch long. Capsules pendidous, an inch long, obovate; seeds with a red arillus.
N at. O rd . XVII. GERANIACEÆ, DC.
Gen. I. GERANIUM, Herit.
Sépala petala 5, æqualia. Stamina 10, fertilia alterna majora, basi glandulis instructa. Carpellorurn
aristæ intus glabræ, elastice e basi ad axeos apicem circinatim revolutæ.
A very large genus, pretty uniformly scattered over the temperate parts of the globe, but comparatively rare iu
the Southern Hemisphere. It is to be distinguished from Pelargonium by its ten fertile stamens ; and from ErodiuM,
a common European plant, which is becoming naturalized iu New Zealand, by the awns of the carpels not being
spii-ally twisted, but simply revolute.—The species are extremely difficult to discriminate, and it is far from clear to
me whether the New Zealand ones are different from tlie European or not : they are the same as Australian
and Tasmanian species. All vary exceedingly in size, in the cutting of the leaves, amount of hairiness, and size of
flowers. (Name from yepavos, a cratie, on account of the beak-like caiqiels.)
1. Geranium dissectum, L. ; caule decumbente v. suberecto patentim v. retrorsum piloso rarius glabrato,
foliis rotundatis 5-7-lobatis partitisve, laciniis linearibus dissectis obtusis apiculatis acutisve, pedicellis
2-floris, sepalis pilosis aristatis, petalis calyce brevioribus v. longioribus emarginatis, capsulis lævibus
pilosis, semine reticulatim punctato.
Var. ¡3 ; patentim pilosa, petalis calyce subduplo longioribus v. brevioribus. G. pilosum, Forst. Prodr.
DC. A. Rich. A. Cunn. Nees ah Esenbeck, Plant. Preiss. v. p . 162. Sweet, Geran. v. 2. t. 119.
Var. /3. retrorsum; cauRbus petiolis pedunculisque retrorsum pilosis, petalis plerumque parvis. G. rc-
trorsum, DC. Prod. ? G. patulum, Forst. Prodr. etc.
Var. 7 . glabratum ; foliis 3-5-lobis, lobis late cuneatis 3-5-fidis.
H a b . Northern and Middle Islands. All the varieties are abundant in waste places, etc., Farster, etc.
Nat. name, “ Pinakitere."
A branching herbaceous plant, covered more or less copiously with spreading or retrorse haii-s.—Root perennial,
tuberous, used by the natives for food in times of scarcity, and called “ Matua Kumara,” Colenso. Sterns weak,
suberect, a span to a foot high. Leaves on long petioles, orbicular, deeply cut and lobed. Peduncles two-flowered.
Flowers very variable in size, white, pink, or purple. Capsules even on the surface, haiiy. Seeds covered with reticulated
impressed dots. This plant is common in Australia and Tasmania, and has been referred by Sir W. J. Hooker
iff ,|r