trees. All possess the iniicila<^iiious properties eonimon to the order, and several arc 

 eaten as pot-hei-bs, while their inner bark yields more or less fibre. II. coniKibitiiix has a 

 prickly stem six or eight feet high, and deeply-parted leaves soincwiiat resembling lliose 

 of the Hemp. The flowers are pale yellow, with a dark purple blotch at the b(jtl(jm of 

 each petal. This species is a native of the East Indies, where it is cultivated on account 

 of the fibre contained in its stem. The fibre, like that of other malvaeeous plants, bears 

 more resemblance to jute than to hemp, though it is sometimes c.illi'd '" Indian llcmp." 

 a. rosa sinensis, a well-known ornament of British hothouses, is a native of India, China, 

 and other parts of Asia. It is a tree of twenty or thirty feet high, and has very variable 

 flowers — double, single, red, dark purple, yellow, white, or variegated, according to the 

 particular variety. These fioAvers contain a quantity of astringent juice, and when 

 bruised, rapidly turn black or deep purjile. They are used by the Chinese ladies for 

 dyeing their hair and eyebrows, and in Java foi- blacking shoes, whence the plant is 

 sometimes called the "Shoe-black Plant." This species is in cultivation in New South 

 Wales, growing freely in almost any kind of soil. The plant, Ave are told, is t!:ere 

 frequently cultivated for the fiow^n-s; these, when dry, are used as a substitute for 

 boot blacking. The flowers contain a large proportion of mucilaginous juice, Avhich 

 perfectly replaces ordinary blackuig, giving a varnish-like gloss, and having tin- advan- 

 tage, that it can be applied in a fcAV moments. Pour or five floAvers, Avith the anthers 

 and pollen removed, are required for each boot, and a polishing brush may be applied 

 afterAvards, if desired. M. si/riaciis is a hardy deciduous shrub, Avith large shoAvy floAV(>rs 

 produced in great profusion in the Autumn months. It is commonly called Allltwa 

 frutex, from the reseml)lance of its fioAvers to those of the Althaea rosea {Rollyhock). 

 The word " Sibiscns" is supposed by some to be derived from Ibis, a stork, Avhieh is 

 said to feed on some of the species. New Zealand is represented by only one species : 

 H. TRiONUM, a very elegant little annual. 



1. HIBISCUS TRIONUM (Linn.) The Native Hibiscus. 



Specific Chaeactee. — A hispid annual, often branched, 

 stem almost woody below, erect or with spreading branches, 

 1-2 ft. high. Leaves jietioled, cordate, palniately 3-5-lobed. 

 Lobes linear, often serrate or sinuate, the middle one longest. 



Bracts numerous, setaceous. Flowers ^-1 in. diam., yellow, 

 with a purple eye. Calyx membranous, hispid, veined. Sta- 

 mens tew or many. Seeds dark-brown, wrinkled, glabrous. 

 Capsule hispid.— ^nnrfiooA- of New Zealand Flora, p. 32. 



Description, etc.. Fig. 3, Plate No. 11.— The "HIBISCUS TlilONUM."— This 

 very beautiful tender annual, is indigenous to both Islands., It is most common in the 

 extreme northern parts of the Northern Island, Avhere it has been collected by [Mr. J. 

 Buchanan, F.L.S. It has likewise been recognised at Pouawa, on the East Coast, by 

 Archdeacon W. L. Williams, and at South Wanganui, near CollingAvood, by Mr. Lyall, 



