Cheeseman. — On the Genus Coprosma. 24^ 



most prudent course is to keep the two plants under the one 

 name until further information is obtained. Mr. Petrie's speci- 

 mens from Stewart Island have very much more coriaceous 

 leaves, with different venation, and maybe true C. colensoi ; 

 but as they have neither flowers nor fruit, it is difficult to pro- 

 nounce on them. 



27. C. Guneata. 



Hook, fil., Flora Antarct., i., -p. 21, t. 15 ; Flora Nov. Zeal, i., p. 110 ; 

 Handbk. N.Z. Flora, p. 117. 



ISIorth Island. — Mount Egmont, abundant, 3,500 to 5,000 feet 

 altitude, Dieffenhach, T.F.C. Euahiue Mountams, Colenso, H. 

 Tryon ! Lake Taupo, and Hikurangi, Colenso. 



South Island. — Abundant in mountain districts. 



Auckland and Campbell Islands. — Sir J. D. Hooker. 



Altitudinal range from 500 to 5,000 feet. 



A stout, densely-branched shrub, 2-10 feet high, in alpine 

 situations becoming smaller and still more compact and rigid. 

 Branches stout, usually densely leafy, the younger ones puberu- 

 lous ; bark dark-grey or brown. Leaves close set, often crowded 

 on short lateral branchlets, variable in size, i-f inch long, Jq-I 

 inch wide, obovate-lanceolate, linear-obovate, or obloug-obovate, 

 more rarely cuneate-oblong, obtuse or sub-acute, patent or 

 recurved, rigid and coriaceous, often concave above, almost vein- 

 less, margins often slightly recurved. Stipules short and broad, 

 when young with the margins densely fimbriate or ciliate. 

 Flowers solitary, terminating the branchlets, sessile. Males : 

 True calyx wanting, but the base of the corolla invested by one 

 or two involucels. Corolla ^-^ inch long, broad campanulate, 

 tube short and narrow, lobes widely spreading, 4 or 5. Females : 

 Calyx-limb 4-lobed, lobes rather long, blunt, unequal. Corolla 

 shorter and narrower than the males, ^--J inch long, 4-lobed to 

 the middle or below. Drupe globose, ^-^ inch diameter. 



One of the most variable species of the genus, but well- 

 marked off from any other by its dense and leafy habit, broad 

 fimbriate stipules, coriaceous recurved linear-obovate or cuneate 

 leaves, which are often concave above, and by the rather large 

 terminal flowers. It varies exceedingly in size, and when high 

 up on the mountains is often reduced to a bush little more than 

 a foot in height, the leaves, etc., being correspondingly reduced. 

 It is exceedingly abundant on the slopes of Mount Egmont, 

 near the upper limit of the forest, forming a leafy shrub 12 feet 

 in height, or even more, and with leaves sometimes f inch in 

 lengtli. Further up the mountain it forms a dense scrubs 2-3 

 feet high, with close and matted branches. North Island speci- 

 mens appear to have stouter branches and broader leaves than 

 the majority of those from the South Island. 



