180 A NEW ZEALAND NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. 



has withered, and acts as a means of distributing the seed 

 through the agency of the wind. By the way, I think 

 that the usual pronunciation of Clematis is not correct ; 

 the "a" should be short, not long, as the word is derived 

 from the Greek " Klema," a vine shoot. There is no 

 absolute rule in these cases, but I take it that without 

 being pedantic the pronunciation should as far as possible 

 follow the derivation. 



Both the native violets* begin to flower in October. 

 Both are white-flowered, with streaks of blue or purple on 

 the lower petal, these lines acting as honey -guides to 

 the small insects which probably fertilise the flowers. Our 

 native violets have a character which is common to 

 most plants of the genus that, namely, of producing 

 later in the season a second set of imperfect flowers ; so 

 that if the ordinary conspicuous blossoms do not produce 

 seed these later ones, which are closed and self-fertilised, 

 may do so. 



The common ribbon -wood (PlayiantJnw betulimisj 

 gets its specific name from its general resemblance to the 

 birch (Betula) in habit and size of leaves. I have been 

 struck with a peculiar feature which characterises two 

 young trees in my own garden. They have been quite 

 deciduous for the last three or four years ; but the interest- 

 ing thing is that their foliage when they were very young 

 was that of the closely allied genus Hoheria. It is only of 

 late years that they have begun to develop the true 

 Plagianthus leaves, and this only in their upper branches. 

 Indeed, I planted them as young Hoherias and did not find 

 out my mistake for some years. The flowers of this plant 

 are very small, but are crowded into dense panicles. The 

 sexes are quite separate in different trees, but from the 

 fact that the flowers are very fragrant and contain nectar 

 they must be visited and crossed by insects. 



Round the shores of the Harbour may be found 

 specimens of another Plagianthits (P. divaricatus) very 

 different in appearance from the common ribbon-wood. 



* Viola filicaulis and V. Cunninghamii. 



