Kirk. — On an undescribed Species of Cordyline. 245 



At the outset, however, it is certain that neither G. indivisa of Dusky Bay, 

 nor C. hooheri of the North Island^ exhibit uniformly simple stems, as stated 

 in the Handbook; neither ai'e the leaves uniformly contracted at the base, 

 either in young specimens or old. In these particulars both forms exhibit (so 

 far as is known) much the same amount of variation as C australis, C. banksii, 

 or C. pumilio, and the same remark will apply, although possibly with less 

 force, to the yellow or red colouration of the principal veins, a character upon 

 which stress has been laid by writers. 



Cordyline hooheri, n. s. 



Stem arboreous, simple or branched, 2-18 feet high, massive. Leaves 

 thick, excessively coriaceous, 2-5 feet long, ensiform, glaucous beneath, usually 

 much contracted immediately above the base, central vein not prominent. 

 Panicle cylindrical, pendulous, 3 feet long or more, with immense bracts at the 

 base 5 feet long, 4-5 inches wide, gradually decreasing in size until towards 

 the middle of the panicle they become shorter than the branches. Branches 

 very numerous, close set, imbricating, simple except at the base of the panicle, 

 jointed with the rhachis. Flowers densely crowded, shortly pedicelled, J inch 

 in diameter, bractlets scarcely longer than the pedicel, very white, globose, 

 seeds black, angled. 



Habitat — North Island, Ruahine Mountains, Colensoj Mount Egmont, 

 Buchanan and others ; Hauraki Gulf, lofty ranges between the Miranda 

 Kedoubt and Eastern Wairoa (young plants only), S. P. Smith. I have also 

 been informed that the same plant occurs on high ranges between the 

 Northern "Wairoa and Whangarei. 



The only flowering example that has yet been available for examination 

 is the fine cultivated specimen in Mr. Owen's grounds at Epsom, which 

 flowered for the first time in November last (1872), when it was six years old. 

 It was at once seen that it differed from the Dusky Bay plant in the 

 small size of the individual flowers, which are not more than ^ inch in 

 diameter ; Forster's plant being described as having flowers from | to 1 inch 

 in diameter ; and in the relative length of the bracteoles, which, in our plant, 

 are scarcely longer than the pedicels. It does not appear, moreover, that 

 Forster's plant possesses the immense bracts of this species, a character too 

 prominent, if present, to have escaped the notice of so good an obsei'ver. 



The dimensions of Mr. Owen's plant are: height of stem 11|^ feet, 

 circumference, at 2 feet from base, 1 foot 8 inches ; leaves 4^ feet long, width 

 at base 8 inches, sharply contracted to 4|- inches, and gradually widening to 

 6 inches just above the middle of the leaf. Four ofisets have been given off 

 with leaves 3 feet long, or more. After flowering the stem divided so far as 

 to form two crowns, the younger of which appears to be dying off. In mature 

 leaves the central nerve is not pi'ominent, but in young leaves it is sometimes 



