240 Transactions. — Botany. 



glabrous or puberulouson the under-surface, j-f inch long by 

 ^ - ^ inch broad ; veins reticulated and evident, except in the 

 more coriaceous forms. Flowers axillary, or on short decnrved 

 lateral branchlets, solitary or in few-flowered fascicles. Males : 

 True calyx wanting, but the usual cupuliform involucre com- 

 posed of depauperated leaves and their stipules present. Corolla 

 ji^-i inch long, campanulate, 4 - 5-lobed to below the middle ; 

 lobes often recurved. Stamens, 4-5. Females : smaller, J^-" i\y 

 inch long. Calyx adnate to the ovary, its limb very short, 

 truncate, or obsoletely toothed. Corolla tubular, 4-lobed to 

 below the middle ; lobes narrow, revolute. Drupe globose, 

 usually bright red; occasionally black, \ inch diameter. 



Var. a. vera. — Leaves orbicular or broadly-ovate, obtuse, often 

 coriaceous. C. rharnnoides, A. Cunu. 



Var. j3. divaricata. — Leaves broadly ovate, oblong-ovate or 

 oblong, acute, rather thin. Narrower leaves, linear or lanceo- 

 late, often mixed with the broader ones. C. divaricata, A. Cunn. ; 

 but not C. divaricata, Hook. fil. 



One of the most puzzling and variable species of the genus. 

 Two main forms are distinguishable, as described above ; but it 

 must be borne in mind that numerous intermediates occur, 

 "which might be placed under either head. Var. a, with rounded 

 obtuse leaves, I am informed by Mr. N. E. Brown, answers to 

 Cunningham's type-specimens of C. rharnnoides, now preserved 

 in the Kew Herbarium. Li its extreme state it is stiff and 

 rigid, with coriaceous leaves ; but the branches often become 

 longer and more slender, and the leaves thinner, narrower, and 

 sub-acute. In this state it is C. coucinna, Colenso, as I find 

 from specimens kindly forwarded by Mr. Colenso himself. Var. 

 /3, Mr. Brown assures me, is identical with the true C. divaricata 

 of A. Cunningham, a very different plant to the C. divaricata of 

 the " Handbook ;" and with this view Sir J. D. Hooker now 

 concurs. It varies much in the shape of its leaves — from 

 nearly roimd to ovate, trowel-shaped, or oblong; but as a rule, 

 they are narrower, thinner, and more acute than in the pre- 

 cedmg variety, into which, however, it passes by insensible 

 gradations. Some common subvarieties of it are remarkable for 

 having narrow lanceolate or linear leaves mixed with those of 

 the ordmary form ; these leaves being most plentiful on the 

 younger branches. Mr Colenso has described this as a distinct 

 species, under the name of C. heteroiiJnjIla. 



The llowcrs are very uniform in both varieties, and offer no 

 distinctive characters of importance. They are perhaps the 

 smallest in the genus, C. teiiuicatdis, C. arculata, and C. rutundi- 

 folia being the nearest in this respect. The fruit is always 

 globose, and usually a dark red — "port-wine" colour. Some 

 varieties, however, have a crimson drupe, and in others the 

 fruit becomes nearly black when decaying. 



