138 Transactions. 



Flowers small, in fascicles on the twigs among and below tlie leaves. Fruit 

 fleshy. 



Ascarina lanceolata is a tall shrub or small slender tree, with bark of a 

 dark reddish-brown colour, and rather rough, with close lenticels. Foliage 

 dense ; leaves ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, deeply serrate, firm 

 in texture, aromatic ; laminae 55 x 18 mm., 62 x 24 mm., 65 x 20 mm., 

 65 X 22 mm. Flowers unisexual, in compound spikes. Fruit a small drupe, 

 3 mm. long. 



Melicope ternata is a small erect tree, 10 m. tall. Bark rather rough, 

 with numerous lenticels, reddish. Leaves trifoliate, in bunches at the end 

 of the twigs ; leaflets large, the central ones 15 cm. long, 7-5 cm. broad, 

 shining, flaccid, or the older ones firm. 



Coprosnia acutijolia is a small, erect, often slender tree, 7-10 m. tall, 

 and with a trunk sometimes 140 cm. in circumference near the base. Bark 

 quite smooth, grey to greenish. Branches ending in numerous slender 

 twigs bearing moderately dense foliage. Leaves ovate-lanceolate to elliptic- 

 ovate, acuminate, variable in size and shape ; laminae 43 x 18 mm., 

 63 X 22 mm., 75 x 35 mm. Fruit small orange -red drupes, produced 

 copiously. 



Macropiper excelsmn major is a small shrub, 2-3 m. tall, with usually 

 several stems springing from the same base. Stems smooth, greenish, 

 terete, with large nodes. Foliage lax. Leaves large, cordate, with 7-13 

 ribs radiating from the base, flaccid or moderately firm in texture ; laminae 

 12 X 11 cm. to 16 x 19 cm. (largest leaf measured 17 x 22 cm.). Flowers 

 dioecious ; male spikes 15-23 cm. long, female spikes 8-10 cm. long. Fruit 

 fleshy. 



(2.) Palms : Rhopalostylis Baueri has a stout, erect, terete, greenish 

 trunk, marked by conspicuous regular rings representing leaf-scars. Base 

 of stem enlarged, bearing densely crowded short roots. Height to flowers 

 7-10 m. Flowers borne at the base of the leaf-sheaths, several succeeding 

 one another in a season. Leaves pinnate ; length without sheath 3-5 m., 

 longest pinnte 1-1-2 m., forming a crown at the top of the stem spreading at 

 an angle of + 130°. 



(3.) Tree-ferns : Cyathea kermadecensis has a trunk 15-20 m. tall, the 

 base large, 1-2 m. in diameter, formed of adventitious rootlets and rapidly 

 narrowing into a slender upper part which is comparatively smooth, as the 

 fallen fronds leave clean scars. 



Cyathea Milnei has a stout erect trunk 4-8 m. tall, slightly thickened 

 by adventitious rootlets at- the base. Fronds after withering hang down 

 the stem for a considerable time, hence there is always a cluster of dead 

 fronds round the top. When they do fall they break of? short, leaving the 

 broken stipes attached to the trunk, which consequently is rough and untidy. 



(4.) Small ferns : Pteris comnns forms tufts about 2 m. tall, containing 

 many dead stipes besides the hving fronds. 



Nephrolepis exaltata has a short erect rhizome from which fronds and 

 roots spring crossing one another. Height 1-2 m. A frond measured — 

 stipe, 100 cm.; frond, 113 cm.; total length, 213 cm.; longest pinna, 

 175 X 17 mm. Pinnae easily broken, so that perfect specimens are rare. 



Nephrolepis cordi folia is a low fern with a tufted rhizome bearing 6-10 

 live and many dead fronds, and numerous roots, forming a tangled mat. 

 Fronds linear, 50-60 cm. long, 5-6 cm. broad, with the pinnae usually broken 

 near their tips. 



