386 Tr ansae tions . — Bo tany . 



The extremely fleshy stipules found in this and all other 

 Coprosmas which I have examined, with their glandular 

 swollen tips, seem to be organs of protection for the very 

 young bud, any injury to which would very much cheek the 

 growth of the plant. Seedlings in the wild state are found 

 most abundantly under the shelter of bushes, especially where 

 there is running water and the adult plants are either con- 

 stituents of subalpine scrub or occur with other shrubs usu- 

 ally on the shady side of river-terraces. Coprosma acerosa, of 

 sand-dunes, and the prostrate river-bed variety, with blue or 

 white fruit, need studying in the seedling form, when it will 

 be found, I think, that they are distinct species. The latter I 

 raised from seed some years ago, and it reproduced itself, but 

 my notes are not full enough for publication. 



Coprosma petriei, Cheeseman. 



(Var. with white fruit.) 



Seed gathered from plants growing on stony flat at 

 Glenorchy, Lake Wakatipu. Germination very slow, but 

 seedlings numerous. 



'o^ 



Description of Seedling. 



Eoot very long, 7'5 cm. in plant examined, straight, deeply 

 descending, yellow ; rootlets very few, extremely short. 



Hypocotyle 4-5 mm. long, terete, sufi'ruticose, lengthen- 

 ing much as development proceeds. 



Cotyledons linear, entire, obtuse, covered on upper sur- 

 face with white adpressed scales, and on under-surface with 

 minute protuberances, gradually narrowing into the short, 

 broad, connate petioles, 8 mm. x 2-5 mm. ; soon withers. 



Leaves opposite, cauline, stipulate, short-petioled, variable 

 in shape at all stages but all of one type, most common linear- 

 oblong, sometimes narrow-oval, spathulate or linear-obovate, 

 entire, green, thick, fleshy, acute or obtuse, covered on both 

 surfaces with a thin translucent scaly brittle deciduous 

 pellicle, beneath which are abundant minute scaly hairs ; 

 midrib obscure, white on under-surface of leaves. 



1st pair of leaves 6 mm. x 2 mm., linear-oblong; petiole 

 rather more than half length of leaf. 



2nd pair of leaves narrow obovate-spathulate, 9 mm. x 

 3 mm. ; petiole half length of lamina. 



Stem pale dotted with pink, terete, swollen at internodes, 

 where it is surrounded by two interfoliar stipules ; 1st inter- 

 node 3mm., 2nd internode 2 mm. The stem branches late- 

 rally from axils of leaves, bearing leaves similar to those de- 

 scribed above, except these are very distinctly ciliated on 

 margin with white hairs, and when first developed are spathu- 

 late or linear-obovate. 



