DISCARIA TOUMATOU, Raoul. 
THE TUMATUKURU, 
Ornprr—RA AM NE AS. 
(Plate CXXXVI.) 
TH _tumatukuru merits a place in this work rather on account of its value in 
the past than of its present usefulness. In the early days of settlement in the 
South Island this afforded the only available timber in many mountain-valleys, 
al d was frequently converted by hand sawyers for building purposes ; being of 
great durability, it was found very serviceable, notwithstanding its small dimen- 
sions: the formation of roads has deprived it of value by facilitating the convey- 
ance of ordinary building timber. This plant was formerly considered a variety 
s bush, but in cool mountain-valleys 
it becomes a small tree, 20ft. high or more, with spreading branches and but few 
leaves : the branches are jointed beneath the leaves, and the ultimate branchlets 
below the spines, or sometimes in their axils: they are from 4in. to 2in. in length, 
narrowed at the base, and quite entire, obtuse or sometimes slightly notched at 
the tip. The flowers are fin. in diameter, produced in the axils of the leaves, 
and arranged in small clusters or solitary: they are carried on short flower- 
talks, the calyx being membranous, with four or five white downy lobes, which 
are three-nerved and are bent backwards: the corolla is absent: the stamens 
are four or five in number, on short filaments, and the ovary is three-lobed, 
herent with the base of the calyx: the style is short, straight, three-lobed. 
‘he fruit is a coriaceous capsule formed of three coherent carpels, which are 
one-seeded, and separate from each other when ripe. 
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PROPERTIES AND UsEs. 
The wood of the tumatukuru is strong, tough, elastic, and durable: it was 
formerly used for building purposes where larger timbers could not be obtained, 
but large trees have now become scarce. Straight stems are prized for the 
handles of stock-whips: the stout sharp spines were used by the Maoris for 
tattooing. 
If properly treated it would form an almost impenetrable live fence. 
DisTRIBUTION OF THE GENUS. 
Discaria is a small genus, comprising about twelve species, all natives of 
temperate countries in South America except one which is found in Australia, 
and another in New Zealand. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIES, 
_Discaria Toumatou is endemic in New Zealand, and attains its northern limit 
between the south head of the Manukau Harbour and Port Waikato. It is 
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