PLATE 82.—COPROSMA RHAMNOIDBES. 
Famity RUBIACE/.] [GENUS COPROSMA, Forst. 
Coprosma rhamnoides, 4. Cun. Precur. n. 474; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 252. 
The type of Coprosma rhamnoides was collected in 1834 by Richard 
Cunningham on the banks of the Kerikeri River, Bay of Islands, a locality in 
which it still exists. It was published by Allan Cunningham in his well-known 
“Precursor,” but his description is by no means good; and I should not have 
felt at all sure of the identity of the plant but for the kind assistance of 
Mr. N. E. Brown, of the Kew Herbarium, who many years ago compared sets of 
my Coprosmas with Cunningham’s types and with other specimens preserved 
in the Kew Herbarium. In 1826 Allan Cunningham gathered a Coprosma in 
“dry woods at Whangaroa” to which he gave the name of C. divaricata. 
Unfortunately, when Sir J. D. Hooker undertook the publication of his “ Flora 
Nove Zelandie”’ he incorrectly applied this name to a group of plants now 
known as C. crassifolia, C. rigida, and C. rubra; and it was not until I 
undertook my revision of the genus (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix (1887), 216) that the 
error was discovered. Mr. Brown then ascertained that Cunningham’s type of 
C. dwaricata had nothing in common with Hooker’s plants, but agreed so 
closely with C. rhamnoides that the two could only be separated as varieties. 
As both names were published at one time in the ‘ Precursor,” C. rhamnoides 
as No. 474, and C. divaricata as No. 476, I took the first name for the joint 
species, distinguishing the second plant as var. divaricata. It is this variety 
which is figured in the accompanying plate. 
C. rhamnoides, taking the species in its fullest sense, has a wide distribution 
in the Dominion, ranging from the North Cape to Stewart Island, and from 
sea-level to fully 3,000 ft. Its distinguishing characters lie in the spreading 
habit, with the branches often much interlaced, the densely pubescent twigs, 
orbicular to ovate or trowel-shaped leaves, small flowers, and red globose fruit. 
In a living state there is little difficulty in separating it from its nearest allies. 
C. areolata is at once distinguished by its fastigiate outline, thin pale leaves, 
and black fruit. C. tenuicaulis also has black fruit, smaller and more coriaceous 
leaves, and less- pubescent purplish-brown twigs. C. parviflora has more 
pubescent twigs, narrower and usually more coriaceous obovate or linear- 
obovate leaves, and bluish or bluish-black fruit. 
The typical form of the species, with rounded obtuse leaves, is often quite 
a small shrub (sometimes only 2 ft. to 3 ft. high) with a stiff rigid habit and 
decidedly coriaceous leaves. But there are other forms in which the branches 
are longer and more slender, with thinner and narrower subacute leaves. These 
states have been described as distinct species by Mr. Colenso, under the name 
of C. concinna and C. orbiculata. The variety divaricata also runs into numerous 
forms, in which the leaves vary from nearly orbicular to ovate, trowel-shaped, or 
even oblong. One common subvariety is remarkable for having narrow 
lanceolate or linear leaves mixed with those of the ordinary form, these leaves 
being most plentiful on the youngest branches. To this form the name of 
C. heterophylla has been applied by Mr. Colenso, but it cannot be looked upon 
as more than a trivial variety. 
Pate 82. Coprosma rhamnoides var. divaricata, male, female, and fruit, drawn from specimens 
collected at Chelsea, near Auckland. Figs. 1, 2, and 3, leaves of different shapes taken from the same 
branch (x 4); 4, male flowers (x 5); 5, female flowers (x 5): 6, longitudinal section of ovary (x 8) : 
7, fruit (should be more globose) (x 4); 8 and 9, pyrenes (x 4); 10, section of pyrene (x 5). 
