ALECTRYON EXCELSUM, De Candolle. 
THE TITOKI. 
Orper—SAPINDACES. 
(Plates XCII. and XCIII.) 
Mr. CoLenso informs me that the titoki is often called ‘‘ titongi’’ by the Maoris, 
the former being a northern, the latter a southern name; and I learn from the 
Ven. Archdeacon W. L. Williams that it is also known as the ‘ tokitoki.”’ 
It is sometimes termed ‘‘the New Zealand ash,”’ doubtless on account of its 
resembling that tree in the shape of its foliage and the toughness of its wood, 
but it is most generally known as ‘ the titoki.”’ | 
It was one of the earliest trees discovered by Europeans, and received the 
MS. name of Evonymoides excelsa from Banks and Solander. It was described 
under its present name by De Candolle in the first volume of his ‘* Prodromus.”’ 
The titoki is a handsome evergreen tree, from 4oft. to 6oft. high, with a 
trunk sometimes 3ft. in diameter, but usually smaller. Its branchlets, leaves, 
inflorescence, and fruit are clothed with a fine dense coat of minute brown hairs, 
which gives it a rusty appearance when the leaves are young; but as the leaves 
approach maturity the hairs gradually disappear from the upper surface. 
The leaves are alternate, from 5in. to toin. long, and consist of from nine 
to thirteen stalked leaflets from 2in. to 4in. long, and from Sin. to 1din. wide: 
they are gradually narrowed towards the apex: the margins may be entire or 
obscurely toothed, or with a few distant acute teeth. In the young state the 
ieaflets are irregularly lobed, or sometimes sharply serrate. 
The flowers are arranged in slender panicles, which are from 4in. to 12in. 
long, and are irregularly branched. Perfect and unisexual flowers may be 
produced on the same tree, or even on the same panicle: each Hower is 
carried on a short pedicel, and occasionally two or more spring from the same 
point. The calyx isa shallow cup with short teeth; the corolla is not developed: 
the stamens are usually six, seven, or eight in number, and, from their blackish- 
red colour, render the flowers somewhat conspicuous: the filaments are scarcely 
developed at first, so that the anthers appear to be sessile, but they increase in 
length during the expansion of the flower. The ovary is small and inconspicuous, 
being almost hidden by a dense coat of brown hairs: it is one-celled and 
contains a single ovule. The fruit is both singular and handsome: when ripe 
itis #in. long, and almost woody, with a flattened crest on the upper portion, 
terminating in a spur-like prominence on one side: when the seed is ripe the 
iruit-vessel becomes ruptured transversely, but not along any definite line. It 
is one-celled, and contains a single pear-shaped black seed, which is surrounded 
by a bright-scarlet fleshy cup, termed an ‘‘aril,”” and has a granulated surface: 
the fiery scarlet of the aril and the glossy jet-black seed form a pleasing con- 
trast, which is harmonized by the deep-russet pubescence of the fruit-vessel. 
The flowers are produced during the months of November and December: 
the fruit requires a year to arrive at maturity, so that flowers and ripe fruit may 
be found on the tree at the same time. 
