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■i. Gunnera prorepens, Hook, fil.; surculosa, parce pilosa v. glabrata, foliis longe petiolatis Hncai-i- ¥.
ovato-oblongis obtusis basi subcordatis v. in petiolum angustatis crenatis, floribus in spicam elougatam
dispositis.
H a b . Mountainous parts of th e N o rth e rn Island, Colenso. W e st coast of Middle Islan d , L ya ll.
Usually a much larger plant than G. mmoica, from 1 -10 inches high, depending on locality. Scions stout,
4 -8 inches long, giving off stout rooting rhizomas, and eight to ten leaves, on petioles 4 -8 inches long. Leaves
1 -2 inches, ovate-ohlong, blunt, crenate, sparingly pilose, cordate, or rounded, or narrowed into the petiole at the
base. Scapes about as long as the leaves; when in fruit bearing many sessile drupes, laxly or densely spiked, which
are as large as pepper-coms, red, fleshy, obcouical or nearly globose, with an irregular deep furrow at the top,
whence the styles protrude. Flowers not seen.
N at. O r d . XXVII, MYRTACEÆ, Br.
Gen. I. M E T E O S ID E SO S , B r .
Calyx superas v. semisuperus ; tubo te re ti v. angulato ; lobis 5, coucavis, deciduis persistentibusve.
Fe la la 5, ro tu n d a ta . S tamina p e rp lu rim a ; filamentis elongatis, oapillaribus v. filiformibus; antheris parvis.
Ovarium 3-locnlai'e ; ovulis plurimis, ángulo snperiore loculi pendulis ; stylo elongato, simplici, recto. Cap-
sula coriácea, calyce immersa v. semisnpera, tu b o calycis arete accreta v. soluta, apice v. ad medium 3-
valvis, rarius la teralite r irreg u lariter ru p ta . Semina plurima, lin e a rla ; te sta reticulata.— FoUa opposita.
Erect or scandent large trees or bushes, with opposite, entire, coriaceous leaves, covered with pellucid dots,
and generally very showy panicles or heads of red flowers crowned m th long erect stamens. Calyx wholly or half
adnate with the ovarium, with a persistent thickened rim, and five rounded, persistent, or deciduous lobes, Fetals
five, rounded. Stamens very numerous and long, forming a crown at the mouth of the calyx. Ovary generally
three-ceUed ; ovules many, pendulous from the inner angles of the cells. Style one, simple, erect. Capsule coriaceous.
half or wholly enclosed in the calyx, three-celled, three-valved at the apex, or bursting in-egularly ; seeds very
numerous, slender, linear or clavate, reticulated, pale brown.—This genus belongs to a group of Myrtaceæ, including
400 to 600 species, all but one of which are confined to the Old World ; one alone being found in the New. in
South Chili ; one is African (Cape of Good Hope), the rest are exclusively Australian, Malayan, and Pacific Islands
plants. Metrosideros itself is most abundant in New Zealand, and in forming climbing trees is quite exceptional in
the Order to which it belongs. (Name /a^rpa, Uarl-wood, and o-i%os, iron; from the hardness of the timber.)
§ a. Capsule indehisoent, surrounded by the calyx and crowned with its cup-shaped border.
1. M e tro s id e ro s/o rie fa , Sm .; scandens, glaberrima ramnlisve teretibus puberulis, foliis (2 unc.)
petiolatis elliptico-oblongis obtusis nervis creberrimis, tliyrso terminal! ramoso, calyce tu rb in a to angulato
lobis persistentibus, fru ctu crasso urceolato 6-costato, floribus magnis. Smith in L in n . Trans, v. S. p . 268.
B e Cand. Proclr. A . jRich. A . Ounn. Melaleuca florida et Leptospermum scandens, Forst. T ab . XV.
H a b . N o rth e rn Island, and Middle Island, in forests. Bay of Islands, etc., frequent, Forster, Cunningham,
etc.; H u tt Valley an d Ship Gove, L y a ll. Fl. December. N a t. names, “ fiak a pika ,” li . Cunn.;
" E a ta ,” Middle Island, L y a ll. (Cultivated in England.)
A stout-tranked plant, climbing the loftiest forest-trees. Branches round, with pale hark ; branchlets pubem-
lous. Leaves l i - S inches long, on short petioles, elliptic-oblong, blunt, with a stout costa and numerous horizontally
branching nerves. Flowers pink, with scarlet stamens, collected into threes on a dichotomously branched,
many-flowered, terminal thyrsus, as large as a fist. Calyx obconic, angled, i inch long, mouth veiy open ; lobes
peTsistent. Stamens and style 1 inch long. M-uit an urceolate, turgid, thick, six-ribbed capsule, bursting irregu-
Seeds very
larly between the ribs (which are persistent), and crowned with the deep cup-shaped calyx-tube.
numerous, linear. P late XV. Fig. 1, ovarium ; 2. the same cut longitudinally ; 3. capsules ; 4. verti.
the same; 6, a seed;—all but fig. 3 magnifed.
vertical section of
2. Metrosideros lucida, M en z .; ramulis tetragonis glaberrimis sericeisve, foliis (2 -3 unc.) breve
petiolatis elliptico-lanceolatis acuminatis in petiolum orassum angusta tis coriaceis lucidis, floribus subsessilibus
V. thyrso te rmin a li abbreviato tricliotomo, calyce breviter obconico sericeo lobis persistentibus,
capsula coriacea breviter uroeolata in tu s 3-valvi extus irreg u lariter ru p ta . A . R ich . Flor. A . Ounn. Prodr.
Fl. Alitarci. v . \ . p . k i . M. umbellata. Can. BC . Frodr. kcrahmav&iw, ILomb. et Jacq. Voy. au Pole Sud.
Melaleuca, Forster.
H a b . N o rth e rn I s la n d ; on th e mountains, Colenso. Middle I s la n d ; ab u n d an t, Forster, LyaU, etc.
An erect, branching tree, with yellowish bark on the obscurely tetragonous branches. Very young leaves silky,
old very coriaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, (2 -8 inches,) acuminate, on short stout petioles. Flowers large, bright scarlet,
sessile at the end of the branches, or in very short, thiek-branched thyrsi. Oalyx broadly obconic, (4 inch long,)
silky ; lobes persistent. Stamens and style 1 inch long, scarlet. Fruit coriaceous, broadly urceolate, crowned
with a thick, short, cup-shaped calyx-tube. obscurely six-ribbed, bm'sting irregularly outside, but inwardly by three
capsular valves.— This forms the bulk of the timber in Lord Auckland’s Islands.
5 b. Capsule enclosed in the calyx, which is prolonged into a tube, bursting regularly into three valves.
3. Metrosideros alhiflora, Sol. ; scandens, glaberrima, foliis (2 -3 unc.) breve petiolatis ellipiico-ovatis
lanceolatisve longe acuminatis coriaceis lucidis, thyrsis te rminalibus pedunculatis trichotome ramosis multi-
floris, capsulis (parvis) coriaceis 3-lobis 3-costatis tubo elongato lobisque calycis reflexis coronatis. B a n k s
et Sol. MS S . et Ic . Gartner, v. p . 1 7 2 . t. 84. M. diffusa, A . Cunn. Prodr. Hook. Ic. P la n t, t. 569.
H a b . N o rth e rn Islan d . Bay of Is lan d s aud east coast. B a n k s a n d Solander, etc.
A stout-trunked climber, ascending lofty trees; everywhere perfectly smooth. Leaves ( I I - 3 inches) elliptical,
shortly petioled, acuminate, coriaceous, polished above. Thyrsi terminal, peduncled, 11—4 inches long. Calyx
urceolate, 2 -3 lines in length, with a long wide-mouthed tube and persistent refiexed lobes. Fetals white. Stamens
yellowish, f inch long. Capsules brown, coriaceous, ( I inch,) turgid, three-lobed, three-ribbed, bursting down their
whole length into three valves.
4. Metrosideros diffusa., Sm. ; scandens, vage divaricatim ramosa, ramis te retib u s, ramulis thyrsoque
puberulis glabratisve, foliis ( } - l uuc.) breve petiolatis oblongo-obovatis elliptico-oblongisve subacutis obtusisve,
thyrsis di-trichotome divaricatim ramosis te rminalibus axillaribusve, floribus ru bicundis breve pedicellatis,
calycis tubo basi elongato ovoideo in tu b um liberum elongato-campanulatum producto, capsula
uroeolata tu rg id a tu b o campanulato basi contracto coronata 3-costata ad basin 3-valvi. Sm ith in L in n . Soc.
Trans. M. myrtifolia, B a n k s et Sol. M S S . et le . Gartner. M. lucida, L in n .
H ab . N orth e ru Islan d ; frequent in woods, Ba n k s and Solander, etc.
A large climbing shrub, with rooting branches. Leaves (1 inch long) on shoi-t petioles, oblong-elliptic or
ovate, blunt, quite smooth, strongly vemecl. Thyrsi tenninal or lateral, peduncled or sessile, bi-trichotomously
branched ; branches patent. Flowers scarlet, pedicellate. Oalyx \ inch, rather hairj', narrow, oblong, with a veiy
broad campanulate five-lobed tube. Petals and filaments ( I inch) scarlet. Fruit a broadly obovate or oblong
coriaceous capsule, (4 inch long,) broader than the campanulate calyx-tube which crowns it, three-ribbed, three-
valved to the base.
5. Metrosideros hypericifolia, A. Cunn. ; frutex scandens, divaricatim ramosus, ramulis gracilibus p u berulis
4-gonis, foliis disticliis quasi pinnatis sessilibus ( 4 - f uuc.) ovato-lanceolatis subacutis apiculatis sub