﻿Kirk. — On the Habit of the Rata. 269 



standing the common belief tliat the stems ultimately become homogeneous, I 

 have never met with an instance where they have united into a solid trunk ; 

 it is certainly true that straight stems of great bulk, sometimes twelve feet in 

 diameter, are to be seen ; but this is only the case when a single root stem 

 has been formed, or when the specimen is entirely of terrestrial growth. This 

 may be verified by examining the position of the pith. It is, however, to be 

 noted that when several stems are given off, the pith in each will be found 

 much closer to the side on which the root has been in contact with the sup- 

 porting tree ; this, however, arises chiefly from the unequal pressure to which 

 the root has been subjected during growth. The roots or stems may be met 

 with of all heights up to seventy feet, and from one to twelve feet in diameter. 

 That the habit of the plant is erect, and not scandent, is demonstrated by 

 the young plants in cultivation in our gardens, and this leads me to mention 

 another peculiarity of this species.* The young cultivated plants are always 

 rigid, erect, and bushy, exactly resembling epiphytic specimens of similar size, 

 or specimens growing on rocks. There is no tendency to a scandent habit, and 

 not until the young plant attains a considerable size does it afford any decided 

 indication of a trite arboreal stem. It usually produces a few much-branched 

 stems. This has led to the belief that the plant is naturally a shrub, and only 

 becomes a tree when placed in a position to develop aerial roots. But the 

 opinion cannot be maintained in presence of the occurrence of large terrestrial 

 specimens in many localities. I am fully prepared to admit their rarity when 

 compared with the abundance of specimens of epiphytic origin, still the fact 

 remains that in some localities they are frequent enough to attract the special 

 attention of the bushman, who calls this form the "inland pohutukawa," a 

 designation he also bestows upon symmetrical specimens of true pohutukawa 

 sometimes found in the forest. These terrestrial specimens of the Rata are 

 usually found in comparatively open places in the forest, while the distorted 

 giants which started in life as epiphytes are usually most abundant, and attain 

 their greatest development in the denser parts, a condition which of itself goes 

 far to account for the comparative rarity of terrestrial specimens. Occasionally 

 dwarf specimens exactly resembling the young cultivated plants, except that 

 they produce flowei^s, are found on elevated rocky places, but the cause of 

 their stunted maturity is self-evident. It is uncertain if the aerial root of the 

 Rata should be considered simply adventitious or as a special development of 

 the original epiphytic root, although I am inclined to believe the latter. In 

 any case the Rata stands alone amongst New Zealand trees in developing stems 

 of large biilk and affording valuable timber from aerial roots. 



* A characteristic specimen, which has been under cultivation for at least fifteen 

 years without producing flowers, may he seen in the grounds of the >lonoiu-ahle James 

 Williamson, Remuera. 



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