﻿428 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany, 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  in 
  its 
  general 
  appearance, 
  shows 
  an 
  evident 
  relationship 
  

   to 
  Celinlsia 
  traversU, 
  but 
  the 
  cordate 
  leaves 
  which 
  present 
  the 
  first 
  depar- 
  

   ture 
  from 
  the 
  normal 
  leaf- 
  form 
  of 
  Celmisia, 
  is 
  thought 
  sufficient 
  to 
  constitute 
  

   a 
  new 
  species. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTION 
  OF 
  PLATE 
  XVIII. 
  

   Plant 
  two-thirds 
  natural 
  size 
  ; 
  head 
  past 
  flowering. 
  

  

  1. 
  Female 
  iioret 
  of 
  ray. 
  

  

  2. 
  Hermaphrodite 
  floret 
  of 
  disk, 
  with 
  achene 
  and 
  pappus, 
  

  

  3. 
  Pappus 
  hair 
  more 
  magnified, 
  

  

  Akt. 
  LXIV, 
  — 
  Notice 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Species 
  of 
  Pomaderris 
  (P. 
  tainui.) 
  

   By 
  Dr. 
  Hector. 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  11th 
  January, 
  1879.] 
  

   The 
  tree 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  introduce 
  to 
  the 
  Society 
  was 
  discovered 
  during 
  

   my 
  recent 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  Mokau 
  district, 
  under 
  circumstances 
  of 
  some 
  interest 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  mere 
  botanical 
  importance 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  flora 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  local 
  plant, 
  being 
  confined 
  to 
  about 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  ground 
  

   on 
  a 
  spur 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  sandy 
  hills 
  that 
  extend 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  between 
  the 
  

   Mokau 
  and 
  the 
  Mohakatina 
  rivers. 
  

  

  The 
  peculiar 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  first 
  attracted 
  my 
  attention, 
  having 
  a 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  clump 
  of 
  apple 
  trees, 
  so 
  that 
  at 
  first 
  glance 
  I 
  thought 
  it 
  

   to 
  be 
  an 
  old 
  orchard 
  or 
  cultivation. 
  I 
  afterwards 
  was 
  much 
  interested 
  in 
  

   hearing 
  from 
  the 
  natives 
  that 
  a 
  peculiar 
  tree 
  was 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  

   their 
  ancestors 
  first 
  camped 
  when 
  they 
  abandoned 
  the 
  Tainui 
  canoe, 
  in 
  

   which 
  they 
  came 
  from 
  Hawaiki, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  tree 
  had 
  sprung 
  from 
  the 
  

   rollers 
  or 
  skids 
  and 
  the 
  green 
  boughs 
  that 
  were 
  brought 
  as 
  flooring 
  to 
  the 
  

   great 
  canoe. 
  On 
  my 
  doubting 
  this, 
  they 
  offered 
  to 
  take 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  place, 
  

   and 
  if 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  recognise 
  the 
  tree 
  as 
  being 
  found 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  New 
  

   Zealand, 
  they 
  would 
  consider 
  it 
  as 
  proof 
  that 
  the 
  tradition 
  was 
  correct. 
  

  

  To 
  my 
  surprise 
  they 
  took 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  clump 
  of 
  trees 
  I 
  had 
  previously 
  

   observed, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  quite 
  distinct 
  from 
  any 
  plant 
  hitherto 
  

   described 
  from 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  the 
  tradition 
  receives 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  

   confirmation 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  need 
  hardly 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  true, 
  and 
  we 
  

   could 
  hereafter 
  determine 
  the 
  original 
  habitat 
  of 
  this 
  tree, 
  it 
  might 
  give 
  

   us 
  a 
  clue 
  to 
  the 
  whereabouts 
  of 
  the 
  mythical 
  Hawaiki, 
  or 
  the 
  place 
  whence 
  

   the 
  Maori 
  originally 
  migrated 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  

  

  