PLaTE 24.—ELHZOCARPUS DENTATUS. 
(THE HINAU.) 
Famity TILIACE.] [Genus ELAOCARPUS, Linn. 
Elzocarpus dentatus, Vahl. Symb. Bot. ui, 66; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 85. 
A well-known and widely distributed tree, not uncommon in forest districts 
between the North Cape and the south-east of Otago. Like the preceding species, 
it was first collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Solander, and in their 
manuscripts was correctly referred to the genus El@ocarpus; but, as the specific 
name they applied has never been published, there is little use in quoting it here. 
The two Forsters, who gathered it in Queen Charlotte Sound, were the first to make 
it known to the botanical world, publishing it, with a very insufficient diagnosis, 
under the name of Dicera dentata. As in the case of Aristotelia racemosa, which 
was referred to the same genus, a more complete description, taken from Forster’s 
manuscripts, was given by A. Richard in the “ Botany of the Voyage of the 
‘ Astrolabe.’ ”? Allan Cunningham, in his “ Precursor,” rightly included the plant 
in Eleocarpus, but instead of using Forster’s specific name, which was perfectly 
well known to him, comed a new one of his own by employing the Maori name 
hinau. This inexcusable action was rectified by Sir J. D. Hooker in the 
“Handbook” by the adoption of the combination Hle@ocarpus dentatus, by which 
it has since been generally known. 
The hinau, as it is commonly called by both Europeans and Maoris, is a 
handsome tree when in bloom, from the abundance of its white pendulous flowers. 
The timber is durable, and might be employed for fencing posts and rails, and 
probably for other purposes, but so far it has been much neglected. A figured 
variety, however, has lately been used with good results for panelling and furniture. 
In olden times the berries of the hinau formed no small proportion of the 
vegetable food of the Maori; but as they are decidedly unpalatable in the fresh 
state some considerable amount of treatment and after-cooking was required to 
satisfy the taste of a Maori epicure. According to Mr. Colenso and Mr. Elsdon 
Best, who are the chief authorities on the subject, two ways of preparing the fruit 
were commonly followed. In the first, the berries were soaked in water for some 
time, and then well rubbed in the hands, the kernels, skin, and bits of stalk being 
carefully strained out, leaving behind a coarse greyish-white meal. The other 
plan was to pound the berries with a wooden or stone beater, the pounded material 
being sifted through a coarse sieve, which retained the kernels, &c. In both 
cases the prepared meal was mixed with water into large cakes or pudding-like 
masses, which were cooked in a hangi or steam-oven, a cake of 20 1b. or 301b. weight 
taking quite two days to bake in a proper manner. This hinau-bread had a dark 
greyish-brown colour, much darker, in fact, than that of rye-bread, but it was 
greatly liked by the Maoris. A well-known Maori proverb says, “‘ When you awaken 
me from sleep, let it be for the purpose of eating hinau-meal.” 
A further use made of the hinau was for dyeing flax-fibre to be used in the 
manufacture of cloaks and other articles. In this case the bark of the tree was 
pounded into shreds, which were then placed at the bottom of a wooden bowl. 
Above this was spread a layer of the fibre to be dyed, then another layer of 
the bark, and so on. The bowl was then filled with water and left for twelve 
or sixteen hours, after which the fibre was taken out and steeped for twenty-four 
hours in the blackish mud of certain swamps, which intensified and fixed the dye. 
The fibre was then washed and dried, after which it was ready for the operations 
of the weaver. 
Puate 24. Eleocarpus dentatus, drawn from specimens collected in the vicinity of Auckland. 
Fig. 1, portion of back of leaf, showing the indumentum of fine silky appressed hairs, and the curious 
“ domatia ” in the axils made by the main veins with the midrib (enlarged) ; 2, flower (x 3); 3, flower, 
with the petals removed, showing the torus and the stamens seated thereon (x3); 4, petal (x3); 
5 and 6, anthers, showing dehiscence by a terminal slit (x 8); 7, pistil (enlarged) ;. 8 and 9, transverse 
and longitudinal section of ovary (enlarged) ; 10, section of fruit (x 2); 11, embryo (x 5). 
