72 
xxviii. myrtacea:. 
[. Metrosideros . 
branches, glabrous or minutely pubescent. Leaves distichous, sessile, -g— f in., 
ovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute or apiculate, glabrous on both sur- 
faces, rather membranous ; midrib and lateral nerves delicate. Flowers small, 
with the stamens •§—- | in. long, in short, lateral, few-flowered, glabrous or pu- 
bescent racemes ; peduncles and pedicels slender. Calyx-tube pyriform, sud- 
denly dilating into a short campanulate or cup-shaped spreading limb ; lobes 
triangular-ovate. Petals orbicular, scarlet, shortly clawed. Stamens and 
style slender. Ovary wholly adherent with the base of the calyx-tube. Cap- 
sule small, short, in. long, globose or turgid, 3-lobed, bursting loculicidally, 
crowned with narrower short tubular calyx-limb, 
Humid forests throughout the islands, Banks and Solander, from Bay of Islands, A. Cun- 
ningham, to Chalky Bay, Lyall. 
6. M. Colensoi, Iloolc. f. FI. N. Z. i. 68. A slender, twiggy, climb- 
ing shrub ; branches very slender (and young leaves tomentose), terete, tetra- 
gonous at the tips. Leaves distichous, scarcely petioled, g-f in., ovate or 
ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, rather membranous when old, glabrous on both 
surfaces ; midrib and veins delicate. Flowers small, in axillary, rarely terminal, 
branched, many-flowered cymes, 1-2 in. long; peduncles and pedicels slender. 
Flowers with the stamens \ in. long, puberulous. Calyx narrow fuuuel- 
shaped, slightly swollen at the base, produced far beyond the ovary ; lobes 
small, broadly ovate, obtuse. Petals orbicular, scarlet. Stamens and style 
very slender. Ovary wholly adherent to the base of the calyx-tube. Capsule 
i in. long, globular, 3-lobed, bursting loculicidally, crowned by the longer 
narrower tubular calyx-limb. 
Northern Island : forests of the Bay of Islands and east coast, Edgerley, Colenso, etc. 
Closely allied to M. hypericifolia, but at ouce distinguished by the slender habit, glabrous, 
not divaricating, branches, and acuminate leaves. 
7. M. robusta, A. Cunn. ; — FI. N. Z. i. 68. 1. 17. A tall, erect (never? 
climbing), glabrous tree, 50-60 ft. high; bark smooth, pale; branches robust, 
terete, the ultimate 4-gonous. Leaves ' decussate, petioled, 1-1 \ in. long, 
elliptic- or ovate-oblong, obtuse or retuse at the tip, very coriaceous, glabrous 
on both surfaces, reticulated with numerous very fine close-set veins. Flowers 
with the stamens 1 in. long, in dense, many-flowered, terminal, pubescent 
cymes ; peduncles and pedicels short and thick. Calyx-tube short, obconic, 
scarcely produced beyond the ovary ; lobes triangular, short. Petals orbicular, 
scarlet, shortly clawed. Stamens and style rather stout. Ovary adnate below 
the middle with the calyx-tube. Capsule urceolate, small, | in., girt round 
the middle by the calyx-tube, the upper part free and loculicidally 3-valved. — 
M. Jlorula, Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 4471, not Smith. 
Northern Island : abundant in forests. Banks and Solander, etc. "Wood hard, close- 
grained, good for uaval purposes. 
8. M. tomentosa, A. Cunn.; — FI. N. Z. i. 68. A short, stout, much- 
branched tree, 30-40 ft. high ; branches very stout, terete, densely tomentose. 
Leaves decussate, petioled, 1-3 in. long, variable in shape, from linear-lanceo- 
late to oblong or orbicular-oblong, rounded or narrowed at the tip, very coria- 
ceous, margins recurved, glabrous, finely reticulated above, densely or laxly 
clothed with snow-white tomentum below, rarely glabrous. Flowers large, 
with the stamens lg in. long, in terminal many-flowered lax or dense cymes, 
