54 The Vegetation of the Sea-coast. 
coastal cliff. At other times the trunk may be short with numerous erect 
trunk-like branches, issuing apparently from the ground, and in some cases 
growing into one another. The bark is brown, much-furrowed and wrinkled.. 
Many adventitious roots are given off even from quite high up, and may form 
bunches, but those lower down often assume great dimensions and assist materially 
in anchoring the heavy trunk to a rock-face. The branches are massive and 
wide-spread and after branching several times give off finally numerous,. stout, 
straight branchlets which bear the decussately arranged leaves and are white 
with a close covering of tomentum. Boughs, branchlets and leaves form a 
close head on the tree. The leaves vary in shape from lanceolate to broadiy 
oblong and are 2.5—ıo cm long. They are darkish green, very thick, coriaceous 
and clothed beneath with white tomentum, but this is absent in seedling and 
juvenile plants. The flowers are arranged in broad, terminal, mar Howereit 
cymes on stout tomentose peduncles and pedicels. The calyx is also tomentose, 
and functions in protecting the flower-bud. The flowers are dark crimson, 
so that a tree in full bloom is a magnificent spectäcle. The capsule is woody, 
and exceeds the calyx-tube; it contains numerous minute seeds of SENDE germi 
nating capacity. 
ur ihe: shrub-form: RR upon Bow of soil and exposure to wind 
and spray. It a oalseanyahe foliage and may bloom when only 
£ A cm nn 
T spe is endemic. Dur related to the Polynesian and Koma 
ee en I occurs from th Kings Islands along the coast-line to 
Poverty. ae on the E: a Ureni (Taranaki) on the W. Inland it occupies 
cliffs c. on the shores es many lakes on ‚the ig Rs as an 
