Cockayne. — Development of Seedlings. 389 



sometimes pectinate ; serrations and sides of leaves often 

 much incurved ; colour of later leaves often almost black, very 

 dark - brown or dull - green in centre, surrounded by dark 

 margin ; margins (of earlier leaves) rarely regularly serrate, 

 usually irregularly biserrate, ciliated ; midrib much raised on 

 under-surface, hairy ; venation penninerved and reticulating, 

 with veins often much swollen on under - surface of leaf ; 

 petioles subterete, variable in length, slightly channelled, 

 connate at base. 



Size of leaves : This may be seen from the jSgures in the 

 plates, which are natural size. In the older plants some of 

 the leaves are considerably larger than those figured. 



Stem (in young seedlings) erect, straight, usually pink in 

 early seedlmg, in older seedlings much darker, almost black 

 at times, with very dark-purple blotches, pubescent with short 

 straight hairs sometimes curving upwards at the tip ; inter- 

 nodes averaging about 8mm. long in plants 6cm. high; in 

 older seedlings (the tallest 24 cm. high) are stout, straight, 

 horizontal branches at right angles to main axis, sometimes 

 opposite, sometimes alternate, with leaves like those on main 

 axis opposite and sometimes with surface quite flat and 

 exactly horizontal. 



Final development into mature state with more simple 

 reduced leaves (Plate XXXI., figs. 16, 17) not yet observed. 



The various forms assumed by the leaves oiA.fmticosa 

 are almost beyond belief ; still a regular sequence of forms 

 from the early thin-leaved ovate to the later coriaceous obovate 

 by way of all varieties of lanceolate can be traced. Perhaps 

 the most remarkable of all are the narrow lanceolate or 

 triangular forms with truncate bases (Plate XXXIV., fig. 73), 

 observed in the collected seedlings, which were reverting to 

 the lanceolate early seedling form (Plate XXXI., fig. 15). 

 At this stage the leaves often assume a considerable size 

 (Plate XXXI., fig. 20), and in many instances are incised 

 almost to the midrib. The early red-stemmed ovate-lanceolate 

 leaved seedling much resembles A. racemosa and A. colensoi in 

 miniature, and these latter may be looked upon as plants 

 arising from a common ancestral stock which have kept 

 almost intact the ancestral character, whereas in A. fruticosa 

 this has been entirely changed by its subalpine environment. 

 It is true that A. colensoi and A. racemosa also at times reach 

 the subalpine zone, but it is in places where they have abund- 

 ant shelter and moisture. The final form of A. fruticosa be- 

 comes very similar to that of its companion plants referred to 

 before when treating of PittosjJonmi rigidum ; and, with its 

 dense rigid tortuous branches and small coriaceous leaves, it 

 might well be taken for A. coprosma. In the wild state very 



