Plate 167.— HEDYCARYA ARBOREA. 



Family MONIMIACE^.] ^Genus HEDYCARYA, Forst. 



Hedycarya arborea, Fom. Char. Gen. 128, t,. 64; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 599. 



The g^nm Hedycarya, with the exception of the Australian H. angustifoUa 

 IS entirely confined to western Polynesia and New Zealand. Fifteen species are' 

 known of which no less than nine are restricted to New Caledonia. Two are found 

 'Vy'^/'^^ Islands and one each in the Solomon Islands, Samoa. Australia, and 

 New Zealand. The Australian and New Zealand species should therefo;e be 

 regarded as so itary outliers of a genus whose main home is in New Caledonia and 

 the adjacent islands. 



We owe the first discovery of Hedycarya in New Zealand to Banks and Solander 

 who in October, 1769, gathered it at " Tigadu," now called Anaura Bay. Late; 

 on they also observed it at Tolaga Bay, Mercury Bay, and Queen Charlotte Sound 

 It was also col ected by the two Forsters during Cook's second voyage, and was 

 formally published by them m their " Characteres Genera Plantarum '' under the 

 name oi Hedycarya arborea. Since then it has been observed by almost all botanists 

 and explorers and is known to be an abundant plant from the Three Kings Islands 

 and the North Cape to the south of Otago. ranging from sea-level to over 2 000 ft 



Hedycarya arborea is a small compactly branched tree 1,5 ft. to 35 ft i'n heieht 

 with a trunk 9 in. to 18 in. in diameter, or more. Although well known to the 

 settler and woodsman it has no generally accepted local name, although I have 

 heard it called pigeonwood " and "New Zealand holly," the last-mentioned very 

 unsmteble appellation being probably due to the bright-red colour of the ripe drupes 

 ihe Maoris call it indifferently kaiwhiria or porokaiwhiria. The wood is pale and 

 soft, and probably useless ; and I am not aware that the plant has been applied 

 to any economic purpose. Forster's name of Hedycarya is usually supposed to 

 have been given on account of the pleasant taste of the seeds, but I have never 

 heard of their being eaten. The tree is of rapid growth, and is probably suitable 

 tor the mixed shrubbery, but so far has been little planted. 



Plate 167. Hedycarya arborea, drawn from .specimens collected in the vicinity of \uckland 

 Fig.l male flower (X 3); 2 and 3, stamens ( x 6) ; 4. female flower ( x 3) ; 5, ovary ( x 8) 6 loni: 

 tudmal section o same (x 8) ; 7, ovule (x 10) ; 8, longitudinal section oi fr'uit (x^2 ; 9 tran Ze 

 section of same ( x 2) ; 10, embryo ( x 4). \ ) < •'< i-KiuBverse 



