388 Transactions. — Botany. 



and branching from axils of leaves ; internodes lengthening 

 considerably as growth proceeds — in plant 5"3cm. high, 

 1-1 cm. to 11mm. long, hairy with short dense pubescence, 

 and also with numerous long acicular white hairs ; hairs 

 1-5 mm. to 2 mm. long, strict, pointing at right angles to axis 

 of stem. 



Stipules 2, interpetiolary, adnate, with petioles from 

 broadly triangular to very broadly rectangular, hairy, and 

 furnished at apex with one long fleshy purple mucro. 



No. 387. Aristotelia fruticosa, Hook. f. Plate XXXI., 

 figs. 16-20ai-/i, and Plate XXXIV., fig. 73. 

 (Var. with v^hite fruit.) 

 Seed gathered from plant on Ben Lomond, Lake Waka- 



tipu, at altitude of 400m. Germination was very slow. 



Description of Seedling. 



Eoot brown, flexuous or straight, furnished abundantly 

 with short filiform lateral rootlets, often also with large 

 spreading stout rootlets from base of hypocotyl, nearly equal- 

 ling the primary root. 



Hypocotyle succulent at first, soon stout and woody, 

 finally about 1-5 cm. long, glabrous below, hairy above with 

 adpressed brown hairs. 



Cotyledons leafy, persistent for long time, still green on 

 plane 9 cm. high, 8 mm. x 4-5 mm., varying in shape and size, 

 oblong, obovate or oval, obtuse, in one instance retuse, fur- 

 nished with many minute scales, especially on under-surface, 

 hairy with brown adpressed hairs on the petiole ; margins 

 entire, faintly ciliated, especially towards petiole ; upper sur- 

 face dull dark-brownish or yellowish-green ; under-surface 

 paler and redder ; petioles short, plano-convex, connate at 

 base. 



Leaves extremely variable at all stages, even up to the 

 full development of the shrub ; early forms of very thin 

 texture, drying up rapidly if exposed to drought, green, 

 brown, blackish-green or reddish-brown on upper surface ; of 

 similar tints but paler and more shining on under-surface ; 

 shape most variable ; first few leaves usually ovate to lanceo- 

 late (Plate XXXI., figs. 14, 18) ; later leaves linear-lanceolate 

 to broad-lanceolate, at times narrow-triangular (Plate XXXI., 

 figs. 15, 19, 20, and Plate XXXIV., fig 73) ; still later leaves- 

 (Plate XXXI., figs. 20a, h, g, h) obovate, obovate-oblong, 

 cuneate at the base, entire, slightly or much serrate, with in- 

 termediate most curious forms by reversion, linear-lanceolate, 

 serrate or pinuatifid, with segments linear or linear-oblong, 



* From wild seedling in cultivation for eight months. 



