160 XXIX. MYETACEAE. [Metrosideros. 



1. M. florida, Sm. in Trans. Linn. Soc. iii. (1797) 369. A large bush, 

 2ft.— 5ft. high, or a lofty climber with a stout main stem. Leaves liin.— Sin. 

 long, shortly petioled, coriaceous, lanceolate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 

 glabrous ; midrib stout. Flowers in terminal branched cymes ; pedicels short, 

 articulated with the peduncles ; orange-red to crimson. Calyx obconic or tur- 

 binate, gland-dotted, exceeding the ovary. Petals 5, exceeding the calyx-lobes, 

 yellowish. Stamens scarlet, very numerous. Ovary adnate with the base of 

 the calyx-tube. Fruit a woody capsule, adnate with and half the length of the 

 5-ribbed campanulate calyx-tube. Seeds numerous. — A. Rich., Fl. N.Z. 333 ; 

 A. Cunn., Precurs. n. 559; Hook, f., Fl. N.Z. i. 67, t. 15; Handbk. 70; 

 T. Kirk, Forest Fl. N.Z. t. 137. M. speciosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z.I, xxii. 

 (1889) 463. M.fulgida, Banks and Sol. MSS. Melaleuca florida, G. Forst., 

 Prod. n. 314. Leptospermum scandens, Forst., Char. Gen. 73. 



Var. aurata. Calyx-tube long and narrow. Petals yellow. Stamens longer than usual, and 

 more slender, at first yellow, but changing to reddish-yellow. — M. aurata. Col. in Trans. N.Z.I, xxiii. 

 385. 



NORTH Island: Three Kings Islands and the North Cape to Cook Strait. SOUTH Island : 

 Marlborough and Nelson. Sea-level to 3,000£t. Var. aurata has been observed on the Mokau River, 

 Taranaki ; Wellington ; and CoUingwood, Nelson ; but only a single specimen in each locality. Aka. 

 Aka-tawhiwhi. Pua-tawhiwki, Nov. to April. 



J. W. Hall informs me that the seeds require a year or more for their full development. 



3. M. lucida, A. Rich., Fl. N.Z. 333. A shrub or tree, 40ft.-60ft. 

 high, with trunk 2ft.— 6ft. in diameter. Leaves silky in the young state, gla- 

 brous when mature, shortly petioled, varying from narrow-lanceolate-acuminate 

 to ovate-lanceolate, very coriaceous, shining, the lower surface dotted with oil- 

 glands. Flowers crimson, in short broad terminal cymes. Peduncles and pedi- 

 cels short, silky. Calyx-tube shortly obconic, silky ; lobes 5, oblong, persistent. 

 Petals exceeding the sepals. Ovary sunk in the base of the calyx-tube, 3-celled ; 

 style shortly exceeding the stamens. Fruiting-calyx campanulate, longer than 

 the 3-valved woody capsule. — A. Cunn., Precurs. n. 561 ; Hook. f.. Fl. Antarc. 

 i. 13; Fl. N.Z. i. 67; Handbk. 71 ; T. Kirk, Forest Fl. N.Z. t. 58; Menzies 

 MS. in Herb., Hook. M. umbellata, Cav., Ic. iv. t. 337. Agalmanthus umbel- 

 latus, Homb. et Jacq., Voy. au Pole Sud., Bot. t. i. Dicot. Melaleuca lucida, 

 G. Forst., Prod. n. 216 (not of Linn.). 



NORTH Island : in hilly or mountain districts. From Whangarei (Cheeseman) to Cook 

 Strait, but very local in many districts; Great Barrier Island. SOUTH Island: plentiful in alpine 

 districts. STEWART Island. AUCKLAND Islands ; abundant. CAMPBELL Island : very rare. 

 Sea-level to 4,000ft. Southern rata. Dec, Jan. 



A single specimen with golden-yellow flowers occurs in Arthur's Pass. 



3. M. Parkinsonii, Buck, in Trans. N.Z.I, xv. (1882) 339, t. 38, /. 1. 

 A prostrate straggling shrub or small tree, 30ft.-35ft. high, with trunk 3in.-6in. 

 in diameter. Leaves opposite, shortly petioled, lin.-2fin. long, iin.-lin. broad, 

 elliptical-ovate, acute, glabrous. Flowers in much-branched paniculate cymes, 

 developed on the old wood, rarely axillary. Peduncles and pedicels slender, 

 glabrous. Calyx-tube turbinate ; lobes deltoid, subacute. Petals shortly ob- 



