224 BEMARKa ON PARATROPHIS HETEROPHYLLA EL. 



fruit ripens ; and it is remarkable that the fruits are almost in- 

 variably solitary, although the spikes are 3-6-flowered. 



Var. elUptica = Trophis opaca Banks & Sol. MSS. et Ic. ; Hook. f. 

 Fl. N. Z. i. 224. 



North Island : — Mongonui to Cook Strait ; Taranga Islands ; 

 Stephen Island. Chiefly in places near the sea. 



The Banksian plate exhibits the male and female spikes, mostly 

 arranged in threes, springing from a terminal peduncle. I have no 

 specimen exhibiting this peculiarity. 



Var. elliptica is erect from a very early state, and does not 

 appear to pass through the remarkable stages of development 

 described above ; it may be, however, that more extended observa- 

 tion might render it necessary to modify this statement, but I have 

 seen no indication of such change. The twigs are straight, erect, 

 with brown bark ; the leaves are erect and rather close- set from the 

 first, oblong or elliptic-oblong, acute, subacute or obtuse, margins 

 crenate or crenate-dentate, coriaceous, 1-3^ in. long, ^-1 in. broad, 

 slightly narrowed at both ends, but not obovate. Both male amenta 

 and female spikes are often geminate, although usually solitary, and 

 are larger than those of the type, sometimes Ih in. long or more. 

 The drupes, however, are numerous, the size of small peas, and 

 being produced in great profusion resemble at a short distance 

 racemes of red currants, the resemblance being increased by the 

 slender rachis being invariably pendulous. It seems not unlikely 

 that the greater number of j)erfect fruits on a spike in this variety 

 may be due to the spikes being usually developed on the naked 

 portions of the branchlets, and thus being more readily fertilized 

 than when hidden amongst the leaves, and it is not impossible that 

 the more robust habit of this plant may be indirectly connected with 

 the same characteristic. 



Notwithstanding the very different aspect presented by the ex- 

 treme forms, a gentle gradation may be traced from the small 

 membranous lobulate or pinnatifid leaves of the early stage of the 

 type to the large elliptical entire leaves of var. elliptica, but it is not 

 easy to find intermediate stages amongst the drupes. 



Female flowers appear continuously through the season, espe- 

 cially in var. elliptica, in which they are developed to the end of 

 February. In this form the unfertilized stigmas often remain on 

 the rachis until the drupes are nearly ripe. The wood is white, 

 compact and rather hard, but perishable. 



I have to express my indebtedness to the Bishop of Waiapu, to 

 Frank V. J. Williams, Esq., of Waipara, to A. Williams, Esq., of 

 Taparoa, and other friends, for a copious supply of specimens from 

 various localities ; also to the authorities of the British Museum 

 for a precious fragment of the original specimen in the Banksian 

 collection. 



The absence of any form of this plant from the Chatham Islands 

 and Stewart Island is remarkable. 



