WILD FUCHSIA 
101 
ASTELIA 
GENERAL—One of the most common of New 
Zealand bush flowers. The name means “having' 
no trunk or stem,” and the plant is so called, 
because it grows in the forks or depressions of 
large forest trees. 
LEAVES—Long, sword -shaped, bright green, 
tough. They become very thick towards the 
base, and curve inwards, overlapping one another, 
thus forming a saucer in which water is retained 
for use by the plant. It is cpiite usual to find drops 
of water here after a long drought. 
FLOWERS—Beautiful, graceful sprays of tiny 
white or yellow flowers, sometimes tinged with 
purple. They sometimes form large, spreading 
panicles, similar in growth to those of the well- 
known Cabbage-tree. 
BERRIES—These are as beautiful as the flowers, 
being formed in large clusters of close-set, trans¬ 
parent, wine-coloured fruit. 
USES—The leaves are used by the Maoris for 
making sleeping-mats. The sweet berries are eaten 
as food. 
NOTES—They grow at various heights, some of 
them being a hundred feet or more above the 
ground. When looked at from below, before the 
flowering season, they have the appearance of large 
bird-nests. 
WILD FUCHSIA 
GENERAL—Another common New Zealand buslp 
plant, usually forming a somewhat straggling bush. 
Under favourable conditions it becomes a small 
tree. 
