THE ROSE FAMILY 195 



ienuifolium — used to form an ornamental hedge. It is known 

 by a variety of names amongst the colonists, such as Mapau, 

 White Mapau, and even Maple and Lemon-tree. The Maori 

 name seems to have been Tarata, but it is also called the 

 Mapau. 



Pittospopum Ralph ii {BalpJis Pittosporum). 

 A somewhat similar species to P. crassifolmm, but distinguished from it by 

 the broader leaves with slender petioles, the shorter peduncles, and smaller 

 capsules. Fl. Nov. -Dec. 



A beautiful, somewhat laxly branched shrub 15 ft -20 ft. 

 high, found chiefly in the central district of the North Island 

 from the Wanganui to Tolago Bay. It grows abundantly in 

 the Christchurch Public Gardens. Its dark-crimson fascicled 

 little flower bells with their slightly emergent yellow anther 

 tips, resting on the downy white young foliage, make it, when 

 in bloom, one of the most attractive of our larger shrubs. 

 The ripe introrse anthers may often be found in contact with 

 the viscid stigmas, so that the plant is probably frequently 

 self-pollinated. 



Rosaceae. 



The Rose Family. 



Distribution. — An almost universally distributed family, though most 

 abundant in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The plants of 

 this family are remarkable for the sweetness of their fruits, and the beauty of 

 their flowers. Hydrocyanic acid is contained in the seeds, leaves, and young 

 shoots of the Pruneae and Ponieae, but the other tribes possess only harmless 

 juices. The rose, the apple, the peach, the cherry, the strawberry, the plum, 

 .all belong to this wide-spread and useful family. 



Key to tlie Genera. 



1. Climbing, prickly shrubs. ' Rubus, p. 196 

 Herbs with simple or pinnate leaves. Achenes many or few. '2 



2. Herbs with pinnate leaves. Achenes 1 or 2. Acsena, p. 201 

 Leaves simple or pinnate. Achenes many. 3 



3. Leaves pinnate. Styles short. tPotentilla. 

 Leaves simple or pinnate. Styles elongated. tGeum. 



tNot further described. 



