Rubiacea. | FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. 107 
8. Coprosma rhamnoides, A. Cunn.; fruticulus flexuosim divaricatim ramosissimus, rigidus, ramulis 
seepius validis cano-pubescentibus, folis parvis (4-3 unc.) late elliptico-ovatis rhombeis spathulatisve 
obtusis subacutisve glaberrimis in petiolum brevem angustatis, floribus glaberrimis minimis solitariis ; 
masc. (alabast. late obovatis) corolla calyce spurio cupuliformi 4-lobo suffulta lobis 2 oppositis majoribus, 
corollee tubo brevi anguste campanulato 4-5-lobo, staminibus 4-5, antheris late oblongis; foem. calycis 
tubo ovoideo limbo breviter tubuloso 4-5-fido ciliato, corolla infundibuliformi 4—5-fida lobis linearibus 
recurvis, stylis 2 gracilibus, baccis parvis. A. Cunn. Prodr. 
Has. Northern and Middle Islands; chiefly on the east coast, Cunningham, ete. 
A rigid woody shrub, variable in size and habit, very much branched ; the branches intricate, stout, patent and 
flexuous, ultimate ones hoary with pubescence. Leaves pretty uniform in size (1-1 inch), rounded, obovate or 
elliptic, oblong or spathulate, narrowed into short petioles, often green when dry. Flowers very minute. Male :— 
Calyx none, except two connate stipules, as in the C. tenuicaulis, which may be seen beneath the ovarium of the 
female flower. Corolla broadly obovate before expansion, four- to five-cleft. Stamens four to five. Female :—Calyx 
tube ovoid ; limb a short, ciliated, four- to five-cleft tube. Corolla funnel-shaped, four- to five-cleft, with two long 
slender styles. Berries very small, 1-2 lines long, rounded.—I have named this plant by specimens in Cunning- 
ham’s Herbarium, which agree but indifferently with the wholly insufficient descriptions in his * Prodromus. The 
very small flowers and fruit afford important characters. 
9. Coprosma divaricata, A. Cunn.; frutex lignosus, rigidus, divaricatim ramosus, ramis seepius brunneis, 
ramulis puberulis glabratisve, foliis parvis (3-4 unc.) rotundatis obcordatis obovato-spathulatis oblongisve 
in petiolum mediocrem angüstatis coriaceis v. membranaceis obtusis, floribus parvis glaberrimis ut in C. 
rhamnoides. A. Cunn. Prodr. 
Var. B. gracilis; ramis gracilibus, foliis lineari-spathulatis obtusis. C. gracilis, A. Cunn. Herb. et 
Prodr. 
Var. y. pallida; ramis gracilibus, cortice albido, foliis obovato-spathulatis sublonge petiolatis. 
Var. Ò. latifolia; ramis gracilibus, cortice fusco, foliis sparsis breve petiolatis majoribus (3 unc.) late 
oblongo-spathulatis apiculatis retusisve subtus pallidis glaberrimis v. puberulis. (An sp. distincta?) 
Var. e. coriacea; ramis robustis lignosis, foliis sparsis rigide coriaceis late obovato-rotundatis spathu- 
latisve marginibus recurvis glaberrimis. 
Has. Throughout the Northern and Middle Islands; common. Var. 8. Bay of Islands, east coast, 
and Otago. (Cultivated in England.) 
What I take to be the ordinary form of C. divaricata resembles C. rhamnoides, but has large, generally more 
coriaceous leaves, less pubescent branches, and larger berries. I am quite at a loss, however, to give good dia- 
gnostic characters for these species, which, being dicecious and very variable, and only known to me through dried 
specimens, present almost insuperable difficulties in the herbarium. Amongst all the specimens I have included 
here, there is no female flower, only young fruit; and the male flower entirely resembles that of the last species. 
The habit is generally laxer than that of C. rhamnoides; branches widely spreading, slender, stout, sparingly leafy. 
Leaves scattered, 1—2 inch long, obovate-spathulate, more or less elongated, and narrowed into petioles of very 
variable length, smooth, blunt, retuse, or obcordate. Flowers very small, axillary, solitary or four or five to- 
gether, shortly pedicellate ; pedicels bearing little cups like calyces, which are connate stipules, in which the flowers 
are sessile. Male flowers as in C. rhamnoides. In var. B the leaves are rather longer than in the ordinary form ; 
in var. y the slender branches are covered with a white silvery bark; in var. 8 the leaves are very broad, on short 
petioles, are 3 inch long, blunt, apiculate, pale and sometimes pubescent below; in var. e the branches are very 
woody and thick, leaves smaller than in var. 8, but very coriaceous. 
10. Coprosma parviflora, Hook. fil. ; frutex rigidus, ramosissimus, ramis planis, ramulis divaricatis 
