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8S HOHERIA POPULNEA. 
lower portion of the free filaments being more or less hairy: the anthers are 
kidney-shaped. The ovary is five- or rarely six-celled, conical in outline, with 
five or six longitudinal furrows, the upper portion clothed with silky hairs; styles,. 
five, slender, usually exceeding the free portion of the stamens in length, with 
capitate stigmas, Fruit dry, consisting of five or six carpels arranged around a 
central axis; each carpel crested with an oblique wing, and containing a single 
seed. 
In common with many other New Zealand trees the houhere exhibits a 
large amount of variation in its leaves at different stages of growth. In the 
typical form this tendency is absent—the leaves of young plants differ from those 
of the mature state in their smaller size only ; but in the varieties /anceolata and 
angustifolia it is strongly developed. The young shoots are very slender and 
flexuous, bearing solitary or fascicled leaves, jin. to }in. long, which are usually 
rounded or wedge-shaped, with two or three sharp or obtuse teeth in the upper 
portion. In var. /anceolata these are succeeded by ovate, irregularly and deeply 
toothed or lobed leaves, which bear considerable resemblance to those of the 
hawthorn: these are gradually succeeded by the lanceolate leaves which are 
specially characteristic of this form. In var. angustifolia the early leaves are 
similar, but smaller, and the transition to the linear spinulose leaves is more _ 
eradual. 
Although the typical form does not exhibit this variation in a state of nature, 
it may be artificially produced by cutting back large branches or heading the 
upper branches, when in many cases the first leaves are deeply toothed or 
lobulate, resembling the intermediate leaves of var. lanceolata although larger; — 
this state has been described as a distinct variety, termed crategifolia. The long 
flexuous shoots with small leaves are given off from the trunk of old specimens 
of varieties 8 and y under cultivation long after they have reached maturity. 
The var. y, angustifolia, was originally described by Raoul in his ‘‘Choix de 
Plantes de la Nouvelle-Zélande’’ as a distinct species, although he had no- 
knowledge of the remarkable leaves of the young state. That he should have 
come to this conclusion is no matter for surprise, as a glance at the plates will | 
show the great difference in the shape of the leaves of the typical form in this 
variety ; but the leaves afford the only character in which diversity can be found. 
There is no difference in the structure of the flowers or fruit, which vary only in 
size. A complete series could be collected showing the most gradual transitions 
from the serrated broadly-ovate leaves of the typical form through the lanceolate _ 
dentate leaves of 8, /anceolata, to the linear-oblong form of y, angustifolia. 
This almost insensible transition from one leaf-form to another renders Se 
impossible to draw any hard lines of separation. I have therefore preferred — 
to retain the different forms as varieties, on the lines originally laid down, 7 
than raise them to specific rank. Mr. ean whose views are entitled to care-_ 
ful consideration, informs me on the other haha that he has always considered _ ke 
the varieties named to be good and valid species. He has recently described 
another form under the name of Hoheria hexastyla,* of which I have not seer 
specimens, but, judging from his description, it seems very close to var. y- 
PROPERTIES AND USEs. mL 
The houhere affords a white fissile timber of a compact even grain, g1 reat. 
strength and toughness, but, unfortunately, speedily perishing when expe a 
It is peeasianelly figured, and is frequently employed by ibe cabinetmaker fo 
-_— — 
* Trans, N.Z. Inst., Xvi, p. 238. z 
