sonictimcs tlir licii^lit of I'lt'ty to sixty foot, or iirc Iavi;(' sliviihs. E. Qdiiilnis, a tree 

 i;r()\vini;' forty or Jil'ty I'cct liij^li, is a native of India and the Malay Islands, wliere the 

 liard stones of the fruit are conunonly used Tor strin^'ing into rosaries, or for making 

 necklaees, l)racelets, hiittons, heads of pins, and similar ai-ticles. Tlie genus is represented 

 in New Zealand l)y tlie following: — (1.) Elceocarpus dkntatus, a small tree having 

 silky twigs and leaves witli recurved margins; (2.) El<kocarpus Hookeriants, a small, 

 ([uite glabrous tree, with smaller ilat leaves. Tli(> name givcMi to this genus hears 

 i-eferenee to tlie olive-like drupe and stone Avhicli characterises it. 



1. ELQ^OCAllPUS DENTATUS {Vahl.) The Tooth-leaved Eloeocariius. 



Si'KciFic CnAHACTEK. — A Mimll tree »ilh brown bark, 

 wliieli vieltls a permanent dve ; bnincbes fustigiale at the top 

 of tlic naked trunk, silky when young. Leaves erect, petioled, 

 \i~'A in. h)ng, very coriaceous and variable, linear-oblonf;, 

 obovate or lanceolate, obtuse or acuminate, margins recurved, 

 sinuate-serrate, below often white with silky down, and with 



hollows where the veins meet the midrib. Racemes glabrous 

 or silky, of many white pendulous flowers J in. diam. Petals 

 lobed or lacerate. Anthers with a ilat recurved tip. Drupe 

 :',- i in. long, ovoid; pulp astringent but eatable ; stone deeply 

 furrowed. — IltinilhijoX' nf the Neiv Zealand Flora, p. 34. 



Descriptiox, etc.— Eig. 1, Plate No. 15.— The " HINAU," or " WIIINAU."— 

 This tree is common to hoth Islands, and is esi^ecially j)lentiful in some parts of the 

 AVellington District. It ascends from almost sea level to an altitude of 2,000 feet on the 

 mountains. On account of the permanent dye that it yields, the Hinau is considered to 

 he \-aluahle. In favourable localities it often attains a height of from fifty to sixty feet, 

 and has a stem from two to three feet in diameter. The Avood is a reddish brown, very 

 tough, strong, and dural)le ; it splits freely, and the heart has given satisfactory proof of 

 great durability when employed for economical purjjoses. It has been used in mines for 

 props and sleepers with marked advantage ; and, after a test of many years, has been 

 found to be quite sound and in good condition. It is even asserted that the wood hardens 

 with age. In some localities it is much jnized by the settlers for fencing purposes, and 

 serves as fuel. The appearance of the tree when in blossom, in October and Xovemher, 

 is charming. The dense green foliage, intei'spersed with its conspicuous and abundant 

 pendulous, creamy-white flowers, affords a pleasurable spectacle, well worthy the attention 

 of all lovers of nature, and admirably suited for the brush of the artist. The flowers are 

 not fragrant, but they jjroducc large quantities of honey, which is probably secreted by 

 the circle of glands surrounding the base of the stamens. In olden times, the Native 

 chief who was jn'oprietor of a goodly grove of Hinau trees was considered a man of great 

 wealth and importance, since from these his tribe derived a lai'ge portion of their susten- 

 ance, the berries of the trees affording a rich harvest of food. To rol) a Hinaii grove was 

 considered by the ancient ^laori, a capital offence. The fruit, which groAvs plentifully in 

 small loose Imnches, (racemes), is a small drupe, about the size of a large sloe, having a 



