116 



3. That no woody fibre exists in the leaf, but the liber-cells have thin 

 walls of delicate construction, which probably accounts for the quick deteriora- 

 tion of the fibre by over-bleaching, or by the use of chemicals. 



4. That the gum appears to offer no peculiar obstacle to the manufacturer, 

 provided the leaves are above the butt, for in the state in which it alone exists 

 in thv. interior of the plant it readily mixes with cold water. 



Art. XXIII. — On the New Zealand Flax, (Phormium tenax). By Major 



Heaphy, V.C. 



{Read before the Auckland Institute, October 18, 1869.] 



This plant grows in nearly every part of New Zealand, Chatham Islands, 

 and Norfolk Island. It is said to exist on the Lachlan plains in New South 

 Wales. In New Zealand it occupies a zone from the beach to an elevation of 

 4000 feet. 



It has been generally supposed that there were three varieties, viz., the 

 P. tenax, P. Colensoi, and another kind, discovered by Dr. Hector on the 

 south-west coast of the Middle Island. 



The P. tenax is described as having a leaf from 3 to 6 feet in length, and a 

 flower-stalk from 6 to 16 feet in length, with a yellow and red flower, and 

 inhabiting the Bay of Islands and northern districts. 



The P. Colensoi is described as having a leaf 2 to 3 feet in length, and a 

 flower-stalk from 3 to 6 feet in length, with a pale flower, and being found as 

 far south as lat. 46° 30'. 



Sir William Hooker doubts if these ai*e distinct varieties, as they do not 

 appear to be more dissimilar than Fuchsias and other flowers will become by 

 different modes of cultivation. 



The largest flax grows on the immediate margins of rivers, such as the 

 Waikato, Wairoa, and Thames, where the rich slime brought down in the 

 freshets affords the nutriment fitting for the most luxuriant growth of the 

 plant. The plant growing in swamps is of inferior size to this. 



The quality of the fibre which the leaf contains, varies much with the 

 character of the soil, the hilly and dry ground producing a kind very much 

 superior to that of the river-edge and swamp, — a rule modified, however, by the 

 quality of the soil. 



According to the natives, the various kinds on the east coast of the North 

 Island are : — - 



1st. The Witau, yielding a poor fibre. 



2nd. The Motu-o-rui and Awanga, a variegated kind, the fibre un- 

 serviceable for manufacture. 



3rd. The Wara rika, and Manga eka, yielding a fibre of ordinary 

 character. 



4th. The Oue or Tapoto, yielding a beautiful glossy or silky fibre, but of 

 so brittle a character as to require a mode of j)reparation in which a knife or 

 scraping implement may not be used. The natives soak the leaf to soften the 

 epidermis, which they strip off by shaking and drawing it throiigh the hand, 

 whence it obtains the name of " Tihore," by which the plant is generally, but 

 improperly, known. 



The Oue should be grown on a rich, deep soil, not swampy. The best 

 fibre is very much prized, and is used for the Kaitaka, or bordered mat. 



Some of this flax was manufactured in France into fabrics, that resembled 

 fine jean and silk in delicacy of gloss. 



The Oue is frequently planted by the natives in borders to divide small 

 cultivations near a village, and where it is convenient for occasional use in mat- 

 making. In this case, it constitutes quite a property. It may be seen in the 

 cultivations at Coromandel harbour, Kawhia, and the Waikato. 



