52 Mr William Gorrie on New Zealand Plants 



Notes on New Zealand Plants that tvithstorjd the severe 

 Winter o/1878-79 at Rait Lodge, Trinity ^near Edinburgh. 

 By William Gorrie of Rait Lodge. 



(Read 8tli January 1880). 



Having long been strongly impressed with the notion 

 that on the mountain ranges of New Zealand, and more 

 particularly those of the middle and southern islands — New 

 Munster and New Leinster — many hardy forms of the 

 southern flora might be got that would impart new and 

 highly important features to our forests, pleasure grounds, 

 and gardens, I secured the good services of some friends who, 

 from time to time within the last fifteen years, sent me such 

 seeds from the provinces of Canterbury and Otago as they 

 thought likely to interest me. From these seeds a few 

 generally known hardy plants were reared, as well as the 

 after-named less known kinds that, having withstood the 

 rigours of the unusually severe and long protracted winter 

 of 1878-79, may be looked upon as sufficiently hardy for our 

 climate.* 



1. PiTTOSPORUM TENurroLiUM {Eohuhu of the natives, 

 and the fine-leaved Turpentine-tree of settlers). — '* A bush 

 or small tree, 20 to 40 feet high, with slender trunk." 

 Timber, according to Captain J, Campbell Walker, 

 "adapted for turnery purposes, and difficult of combustion." 

 A plant 5 feet in height, on a south wall, withstood the 

 last winter without injury, but several smaller ones of the 

 same age suffered more or less in the open ground. Its 

 beautiful, glaucous, smooth, undulated, evergeen leaves 



* The minimums for the seven montlis of 1878-79 in whicli the temperature 

 fell below the freezing-point were as follows : — First column from observations 

 taken at Edinburgh by the Scottish Meteorological Society with thermometer 

 I)rotected from direct radiation by louvre boarding, in the usual manner ; and 

 second column from observations at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, b}' a ther- 

 mometer fully exposed to direct radiation : — 



November 1878 26° '5 ... 24° 



December ,, 9° ... 9° 



January 1879 16°'5 ... 12° 



Februaiy ,, 2r-4 ... 19° 



March ,, 17° ... 10° 



April ,, 28°-7 ... 26° 



May , 29°-2 ... — 



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