Cockayne. — Development of Seedlings. 363 



The seedlings examined were remarkably uniform, varying 

 very little from one another. The leaves of adult plants are 

 smaller, dark in colour, much less divided or quite entire, 

 more coriaceous, with obtuse apices and recurved margins, 

 often fascicled on very short branches, and are evidently 

 reduced forms of the greener, larger, pinnatifid, acute, 

 juvenile leaves. This reduction seems to afford a striking 

 example of the effect of environment on leaf-forms — -in this case 

 frequent furious gales, uo shelter from frost, often insufdcient 

 moisture, a very clear atmosphere, fierce sunshine, and very 

 poor stony ground. And it is worthy of remark that the 

 majoritv of the shrubs growing in company with P. rigidum 

 have sometimes reduced leaves almost identical in shape, 

 and at other times leaves of different shape but still much 

 reduced. Such, for example, are Goprosma (several species), 

 ' Hymenanthcra (several species), Panax anomalum, Veronica 

 (several species), Discaria toiimatou, Clematis marata, Bubits 

 cissoides, and Aristotelia fruticosa, this last having in one of 

 its early forms pinnatifid leaves. 



A form of P. rigidum from Mount Hikuraugi, kindly sent 

 to me by Mr. D. Petrie, F.L.S., has much larger leaves, 

 obovate or oblong, and resembles the plant figured in the 

 "Flora Novge Zelandite " (vol. i., pi. x.) much more than 

 the southern form. It is quite possible that this Canterbury 

 form, here treated of, may be specifically distinct from that 

 of Nelson and the North Island, but, until seedling forms of 

 these latter are studied and experimented with, it will be 

 impossible to settle the point. Seedlings of the little-known 

 P. ohcordatum would also be of great interest, and would help 

 to throw light on these anomalous forms of Pittosporum. 



No. 504. Carmichaelia hookeri,'- T. Kn-k. Plate XXX., 



figs. 6, 7, 8. 



Seed gathered by Mr. T. Kirk, F.L.S., at head of Porirua 

 Harbour. Germinated in about three weeks. 



Description of Seedling. 



Eoot stout, with many fibrous strong lateral rootlets. 



Hypocotyle very short, thick, green, terete. 



Cotyledons increase in size after germination, from 4 mm. 

 to 7 mm. in length, obovate or oblong, from dark to pale green, 

 paler on under-surface, thick, fleshy, short-petioled ; petioles 

 finally 1mm. to 2 mm. long, channelled, connate at base, 

 slightly hairy or glabrous ; sides of lamina unsymmetrical ; 

 midrib jast evident on under-surface, or slightly swollen 

 towards base of leaf. 



* " On Carmichffilia," &c., by T. Kirk, F.L.S. (" Transactions of the 

 New Zealand Institute," vol. xxix., pp. 506, 508). 



