TAB. 8846. 
METROSIDEROS couuta. 
Polynesia, 
Myrracear. Tribe Myrreag. 
MErrosipERos, Banks ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i. p. 710. 
Metrosideros collina, A. Gray, Bot. U. St. Expl. Exped. vol. i. p. 558 
; (1854); Nadeaud, Enum. Pl. Tahit. p. 78; Rock, Revis. Haw. Sp. 
a . Metrosid. p. 15; a M. tomentosa, A. Rich., floribus minoribus et foliis 
saepissime latioribus differt. 
Arbor vel frutex altus. Rami teretes, primum saepissime villosi, demum 
. glabrati. Folia opposita, breviter petiolata, coriacea, obovata, late elliptica 
: vel suborbiculata, obtusa, basi cuneata vel rotundata, villosa vel glabra, 
: 3-6 cm. longa, 2-4 cm. lata; venis numerosis parallelis ; petioli 0-5-1 cm. 
longi. lores terminales, speciosi, in corymbos vel paniculas arctius 
aggregati; bracteae subobsoletae; pedicelli breves, tomentosi. Caly« 
campanulatus, 3-5 mm. longus, tomentosus; lobi late oblongi vel rotun- 
dati, 2mm. longi. Petala obovata, 4-5 mm. longa, rubra. Stamina 
numerosa, 1°5-2 cm. longa. Stylus gracilis,2 cm. longus.— Leptospermum 
collinum, Forst. Char. Gen. Plant. p. 72 (1776). Melaleuca villosa, Linn. 
were Suppl. Plant. p. 342 (1781). M. aestwosa, Forst. f. Prodr. p. 38 (1786). 
is . Metrosideros villosa, Smith in Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. iii. p. 268 (1797) ; 
ie T. Kirk, Students’ Fl. N. Zeal. p. 163; Cheesem. Man. N. Zeal. Fl. p. 167; 
R. B. Oliver, in Trans. N. Zeal. Inst. vol. xlii. p. 168. M. polymorpha, 
Gaud. in Freyc. Voy. Bot. p. 482, tt. 108, 109 (1826); Hook. f. Handb. 
N. Zeal. Fl. p. 73; T. Kirk, Forest Fl. N. Zeal. p. 241, t. 119; Sincl. Fl. 
Haw. Isl. t. 2; Hillebr. Fl. Haw. Isl. 125.—R. A. Rotre. 
The Myrtaceous genus Metrosideros is widely distributed 
throughout Polynesia and is well represented in New 
Zealand. The species now figured, J. collina, though 
not one of the New Zealand members of the genus, is 
most nearly allied to J/. tomentosa, A. Rich., known in 
New Zealand as the Christmas Tree and figured at 
t. 4488 of this work. The history of our plant is some- 
_ what complicated, a circumstance attributable partly to 
its very wide distribution, partly to the variability it 
displays. It was first briefly characterised by Forster 
 Aprit—June, 1920. 
