312 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [CHAP. 



trunk of from 8 to 18 feet in length, with a circum- 

 ference of 6 to 9 feet, and an overpowering weight of 

 robust branches. The foliage is a deeply-veined, plain- 

 edged, light-green leaf, 2 inches in breadth by 3 inches 

 in length. It flowers nearly all the year round, and is 

 especially full in September ; the flowers are of a deep 

 red colour, and somewhat bell-shaped. The fruit, which 

 is like a cherry, is a favourite food of the wood-pigeon. 



The Puriri tree yields timber 9 to 1 8 feet in length, 

 and 10 to 18 inches square. The bark is thin, smooth, 

 and greyish-white in colour. The wood is dark brown, 

 extremely hard, heavy, close-grained, and generally free 

 from defects, the exception being that it is liable to 

 some slight injury during growth from a worm, which 

 bores it from the roots upwards, leaving a clean hole of 

 from y?, to ^ths of an inch diameter. The alburnum or 

 sap-wood on this tree is generally from 2 to 3 inches 

 thick, and of a yellowish colour. 



This timber is very durable, and suitable for the 

 frames of ships, and also for many other purposes where 

 hard, short, curved wood is required. Specimen logs 

 were brought to England to be used experimentally in 

 ship-building. The specific gravity of Puriri in a green 

 state is about 1 100, and when seasoned it is nearly 1000. 



The Kauri, Kahikatea, Tanakaha, Rimu, Miro, 

 Totara, Rata, Pohutukawa, and Puriri trees are the 

 principal, and, except the Kahikatea, probably the most 

 valuable of all that can be found in New Zealand. Still 

 there are many other varieties, about thirty, some ten or 

 twelve of which could be made available for building and 

 cabinet purposes ; the remainder would be more or less 

 useful for the manufacture of agricultural implements, 

 fuel, &c., &c. 



