OLEARIA COLENSOI, Hook. f. 
THE TUPARI. 
OrDER—=COMPOSIT 4. 
(Plate CII.) 
Tus fine plant was originally discovered by Mr. Colenso on Hikurangi at an 
altitude of 5,000ft., and was subsequently found to be of frequent occurrence in 
mountain districts. Mr. Traill informs me that it is the tupar of the Stewart 
Island Natives: it is, however, generally termed ‘‘ mutton-bird wood,”’ or ‘ mut- 
ton-wood”’ by settlers, on account of its growing on outlying islands frequented 
by mutton-birds. Owing to the great strength and toughness of its branches, 
combined with a dense habit of growth, it forms “scrub,” through which a 
passage can only be forced by a great amount of labour, No other New 
Zealand plant forms undergrowth so extremely difficult to penetrate. 
Olearia Colensot is perhaps the largest species of the genus, but varies from 
a handsome bushy shrub, not more than 3ft. or 4ft. high, to a tree 4oft. high 
with a trunk 2ft. in diameter: it attains its largest dimensions on Stewart Island 
and the outlying islets. The branches are stout, and in the young state are 
clothed with a thick coat of whitish or yellowish-brown hairs, which are more or 
less appressed, especially on the under-surfaces of the leaves. The leaves are 
alternate, and are usually carried on stout leaf-stalks, sometimes ‘Hn. long, at 
others so short that the leaf appears sessile: the leaves are excessively cori- 
aceous, and of variable form, but are always pointed at the apex: they range 
from 2in. to 8in. in length, and from iin. to 3in. in breadth; the mid-rib is very 
stout, and the veins are prominent on both surfaces. The upper surface is 
finely reticulated, the lower surface is clothed with appressed white hairs, and 
the margins are irregularly cut into sharp or obtuse teeth. 
The flowers are arranged in from two to four axillary racemes developed at 
the tips of the branches, but usually become overtopped by the new shoot; the 
racemes are from 3i1n. to 8in. long, and carry from three to eight heads, from 
4in. to tin. in diameter; each head is borne on a stout stalk ‘Hn. to ain. long ; 
at the base of each stalk is a small sheathing leaf or bract; the axes of the 
raceme, pedicels, and bracts are thickly clothed with loose white hairs. The 
involucral scales are numerous, and form a broad cup, the upper portion of 
each scale being protected by short brown woolly hairs. The florets are very 
numerous, tubular, with a bell-shaped mouth, the great majority being perfect ; 
a few of the outer series are female, but are invariably destitute of rays. This 
species is the only large-headed Olearia with rayless flowers. 
The fruits are one-seeded and silky, crowned with a pappus consisting of 
several rows of brown hairs. 
Sir Joseph Hooker recognised two forms of this plant: a, in which the 
leaves are without obvious petioles, and shorter than the racemes; B, leaves 
with distinct petioles, and longer than the racemes. Further observation has 
shown that there is no co-relationship between the length of the petioles and 
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