Cockayne. — Development of Seedlings. 381 



Cotyledons 3 mm. x 2 mm., fleshy, triangular -oblong, ob- 

 tuse, glabrous, entire, with broad petioles ; petioles connate 

 at base, equalling lamina. 



1st pair of leaves broadly triangular-ovate, obtuse, patent, 

 curving downwards towards apex, sparingly hairy with 

 minute hairs on upper surface, truncate or subtruncate at 

 base ; under - surface broadly keeled ; petioles deeply and 

 bi'oadly channelled, connate at base, equalling lamina, which 

 is 4 mm. x 3 mm. 



2nd pair of leaves similar to 1st pair, but rather larger. 



Later leaves (up to 8th pair) still of same type, but sides 

 bending inwards, making upper surface concave ; petioles 

 from semi-patent to almost adpressed to stem. 



Leaves on branches : These are considerably smaller and 

 much more arched than leaves on main stem, the petiole 

 semi-erect and lamina bent, arching downward almost at 

 right angles, with apex recurved. 



Stem very early in development branches from base, at 

 first quite succulent and fleshy, more or less purple, sparingly 

 minutely pubescent, terete ; internodes 2 mm. long, but much 

 shorter towards apex of stem. 



Variations : The two batches of seedlings vary consider- 

 ably from one another : first, in colour — 634 pale-green, only 

 later leaves faintly stained on margin with purple ; 310 dark- 

 green, edges of later leaves very deeply stamed with purple ; 

 second, in size of internodes, 310 having much larger inter- 

 nodes ; and, third, in size of leaves, the younger (634) having 

 larger leaves than the older (310). The individuals of each 

 batch do not seem to vary to any extent, but not sufiicient 

 seeds have germinated to warrant any conclusion. 



The whole plant is very succulent and soft. Such struc- 

 ture is an admirable provision against drought, growing as it 

 does on solid rock or shingle-slips, for it cannot put down a 

 long root in search of water as the adult plant can ; nor is 

 there so much danger of its drying up with excessive trans- 

 piration, since, being of very low stature, the large stones of 

 the shingle-slips or the fissures in the rock, where alone the 

 seed can germinate, will protect it from the drying winds. 

 The same remark would apply to V. tetrasticha, a companion 

 plant. It is curious that this soft succulent form of leaf is 

 the permanent form of V. haastn, a closely allied plant, re- 

 stricted to regions subject to the western rainfall.''' V. epa- 

 cridea has adult leaves (Plate XXXIV., fig. 65), extremely 



* In the Handbook it is said to grow on Mount Torlesse ; it must, 

 however, be very rare ; whereas in the position indicated above 

 V. haastii grows with the greatest luxuriance, trailing in long patches 

 over the stony ground. I think it most likely that the Torlesse plant 

 was a very open-leaved or a young form of V. epacridea. 



