Cheeseman. — On the Qenus Coprosma. 223 



C. robiista, where the flowers are congested into a dense many- 

 flowered glomerule, or with two or three superposed glomeruleg. 

 In C. baueriana, C. petiotata, and C. cunninghamii, the flowers 

 are much less in number than in C. robusta, but their arrange- 

 ment is on the same principle. In C. arborea the glomerules 

 are rounder, and even more compact, and in addition to occupy- 

 ing the axils of the leaves, they often terminate the branches, 

 which is never the case in C. robusta. 



In the small-leaved species the flowers are much reduced in 

 number, and are often solitary, especially the females. As to 

 their arrangement, there are two main types, but they graduate 

 insensibly into one another. In the first, the flower, or fascicle 

 of flowers, is placed in the axil of a leaf, and is thus axillary. 

 If, however, the pedicel of the flower is examined, it will be 

 seen that in all cases two or three series of connate bracts are 

 placed under the flower. The upper series forms a cup-shaped 

 involucre, closely investing the base of the flower, and can be 

 easily mistaken for a calyx, especially in the males, where the 

 true calyx is either much reduced or altogether absent. These 

 connate bracts evidently represent depauperated leaves and their 

 stipules, so that the flowers really termmate minute arrested 

 branchlets. This is the arrangement seen in C. rotundi folia, 

 C. areolata, and C. tenuicaulis. In the second class the flowers 

 quite obviously terminate leafy branchlets. In C. fcetidissima, 

 C. colensoi, etc., they are placed at ends of the main branches, 

 as well as on lateral branchlets, and several pairs of well- 

 developed leaves are usually present, in addition to the bracts 

 mentioned above. In other species (C propinqua, C. parviflora, 

 etc.), the flowers terminate short lateral branchlets only. As 

 these branchlets are frequently much reduced, and often have 

 only one pair of small leaves below the bracts, there is really 

 not much to distinguish the inflorescence from that of the first 

 type. This is particularly the case when the leaf at the base of 

 the branchlet, and from the axil of which it has sprung, is per- 

 sistent, as frequently happens. 



Flowers. — The flowers are unisexual, and the sexes are 

 placed on different plants. Occasionally, however, a few male 

 flowers are intermixed with the females, and vice versa. Some 

 species, and especially C. robusta and C. foitidissima, now and 

 then produce hermaphrodite flowers, to all appearance well- 

 developed and perfect, but which seldom mature fruit. The 

 flowers are vei-y uniform in shape all through the genus, and 

 thus are of little value in the discrimination of the species. 



The males are always larger and more numerous than the 

 females. They have a broad or narrow campanulate corolla, 

 divided half-way down, or further, into four or five lobes. The 

 calyx, in the species in which it is present, is minute and 

 cupular, and either truncate or obsoletely 4-5-toothed. In C. 



