194 Essays. 



flowers. Common at Dimediu. Wood soft, white, splits freely, but not 

 durable. Flowers in October. 



Hibbon-wood (Jlolieria poipuhiea yar. angustifolia). A tree with all 

 the beauties and faults of the last. Common near Dunedin. Elowers in 

 January. 



Sibbon-wood (P6?M?««!^i« cori/mhosa). This tree and the two former are 

 often confounded, being very similar in general appearance, and in soft, white, 

 easily splitting, worthless wood ; in the season being covered with masses 

 of small, white, fragrant flowers ; and not very dissimilar in the leaves. 

 Common near Dunedin. Flowers in December. 



E-ibbon-wood (Jlolieria jjopulnea var. cratceglfolici). A very ornamental 

 tree, found on the West Coast. Similar to the former, but with larger 

 flowers. 



Eibbon-wood, or lace-bark tree {Plagianthus lyaJlii) . A very ornamental 

 shrub-tree, with large leaves and flovrers. Common on the central ranges 

 and West Coast. 



Mapatj Family. — White mapau ; tarata {Fittosporum eugenioides). One 

 of the most beautiful trees in Xevv^ Zealand; grows to a comparatively large 

 size in Otago, with a trunk 18 inches to 2 feet diameter. Leaves shining, 

 silvery. Flowers in large, pale yellow corymbs, very fragrant. The leaves, 

 when bruised and mixed with fat, are used by the Maoris as a perfume. 

 Wood soft, white, worthless. Bark exudes a resin. 



Black mapau, or tipau {Pittosporum colensoi). A shrub-tree, very 

 ornamental in contrast with the last ; the whole tree very dark coloured. 

 Flowers solitary, dark purple. Wood soft, white, worthless ; 12 inches 

 diameter. 



Black mapau, or tipau {Pittosporum tenuifolium) . A smaller-leaved 

 species, probably a variety of the last. Leaves smaller, pale green, shining. 

 Wood soft, v/hite, worthless ; 12 inches diameter. Pittospiorum rigidum, a 

 straggling shrub of the West Coast. 



Abalia Family. — Kaiwhiria {Panax simplex). A small, dark-foliaged, 

 1-foliolate shrub-tree. Leaves of young plants, and loAver branches of old 

 plants, 3-foliolate, sometimes deeply lobulate when young (seldom so at 

 Dunedin), slightly fragrant when bruised. This is probably only a variety 

 of the next. 



Eaukawa {Panax edgerleyi). A good-sized tree at Dunedin, IS inches to 

 2 feet diameter. Large , shining leaves, 3-foliolate in the young plant, and 

 deeply lobulate ; leaves of lower branches of large trees retain the 3-foliolate 

 form. Leaves fragrant when bruised, and, when mixed with fat, used by the 

 Maoris as perfumery. 



Panax anomalimi. A small shrub found at Waikawa. 



