BT J. H. MAIDEX. 



565 



Oliver (p. 129) draws attention to Hybrids of Howea. I have had some of 

 these plants under observation since 1910, but hesitated to jjublish anything, as 

 I desired to keep them under observation. My original plants came from the 

 holding the late Edward King, who had four trees. Five additional plants 

 (from the same locality) were obtained from the late Rev. AV. W. Watts in 

 September, 1916. 



Mr. Boorman reports that during his exploration of the more coastal areas 

 of the Island, he met with several additional instances of hybrid Howeas, more 

 particularly at the north end of the Island in the vioinity of the rifle-range; also 

 on property occupied by a Mr. Campbell Stevens, and by Mr. Thompson ad- 

 jacent. They all appeared to be of the same character as those on Deep Creek 

 to the south-west of the Island, already refeiTcd to. 



I contrasted the hybrids in 1916 with H. Belmorea»a and H. Forsteriana as 

 follows : — 



H. Belmoreana. 



2. H. Forsteriana. 



3. Hybrid. 



(a) Leaf segments con- 

 verging upwards. 



(b) Fruit spikes elon- 

 gated { individual ) . 



(c) Fruits plump, pro- 

 duced into a shortly 

 truncate apex. 



(a) Drooping. 



(b) Fruit spikes shorter 

 than those of H. Bel- 

 moreana (clustered at 

 the base, from 3 to 8.) 



(c) Longer and narrower 

 than those of H. Bel- 

 moreana, the truncate 

 apex not produced. 



(a) and (b) Leaf seg- 

 ments and fruiting 

 spikes as in i?. Bel- 

 moreana, and its fruits 

 barely separable from 

 that species . The mid- 

 rib of the leaf has the 

 leaflets (segments) 



converging upwards, 

 but not quite so curly 

 as H. Belmoreana. 



(c) Colour of fruits duU 

 carrnine lake (Plate 

 106, shade 4), with a 

 base of cherry red 

 (Dauthenay's Reper- 

 toire de Couleurs, 

 Plate 91, shade 3). 



Mr. 5). N. W^rd (18th August, 1920) reports on these hybrid Hoiveas as 

 follows : — 



"They are verv variable in size, habit and colour of stem. Five are still in pots 

 in the small bush house. The five planted out in November. 1916 have grown well; 

 two of these are in the palm bed in section 9 in the Lower Garden, one in bed 25 

 near the Keieleeria japonica tree, and one in bed 20 in the Middle Garden. The 

 other is on the western side of the creek. Upper Garden. 



Of the four planted eleven months later, onlj' one is alive and that is doing 

 badly in bed A, lawn 22, Lower Garden, These were planted on low lying ground, 

 very wet in winter, and while these conditions suit some palms they did not suit 

 these hybrids," ■ ' 



The following introduced plants collected by Mr. Boorman appear to be new 

 records : — 



