294 PISONIA BRUNONIANA. a 
them into ue ash-pit. ‘To-day the servant comes in to say that about a doz en 
‘silver-eyes’ are glued to these branches; and a pretty piece of work we ] had to 
eet them clear, for four or five of the sHiciak pods, at the lowest aera ere 
anne to each bird. When you look at the tree you can see tufts of feath 
antl eae where the birds have died, and I really don’t think they could poss bly 
get away without help. The ‘steals cat just lives under the tree, so that a goo d 
-many fall to her share; but, in revenge, many pods get into her fur, and she has 
to come and get them decor out.” 
This plant is of easy cultivation, and may be readily propagated by seeds ds 
or cuttings, but requires a situation in which it is sheltered from high winds a nd 
frost : the former tear the thin leaves into strips, and the latter kills back the 
young shoots. It suffers severely from frost when planted in the vicinity of 
Wellington, but is not killed. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE GENUS. 
Pisonia comprises about sixty species, chiefly natives of tropical regions, 
often littoral: a few species are found in Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Mascarene 
Islands, &c., three in Australia, and one in New Zealand. : 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIES. 
Pisonia Brunoniana is found in littoral situations on the Kermadec Islands, 
the Three Kings, near Neunguru (north of Whangarei), on the Taranga 
Islands, and on the south side af Whangape Harbour on the west coast. It is 
also found on Arid Island, the Little Barrier Island, Cape Colville Peninsula, 
and on the East Cape, Piste it attains its southern limit. It ascends to Boot. 
on the largest of the Taranga Islands. 
It extends to New South Wales, Queensland, and Norfolk Island. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Pisonia Brunoniana, Endl. 
P. Sinclairii, Hook. f., ‘‘ Flora Novee-Zelandiz,”’ i., t. 50. 
P. wmbellifera, Seemann, ‘‘ Journal of Botany,” 1., 244. 
An evergreen shrub or tree, 6ft. to 4oft. high or more. Branches soft, stout. : 
Leaves usually opposite, 4in. to 14in. long, on slender petioles, broadly oblong, 
obtuse or acute, entire, membranous. F lowers in much-branched eee 
cymes or panicles, pubescent, 2in. to 4in. broad. Flowers jin. to 4in. long, ¢ 
slender pedicels, bracteolate, Perianth tubular, campanulate, five - a 
Stamens, six to ten, hypogynous, the filaments united at the base. Ovary 
elongate, one-celled; style slender; stigma expanded laterally. Fruit, an 
Lipnanted utricle, with the remains a nes staminal tube at its base, enclosed 
in the enlarged ribbed viscid perianth, tin. to 2in. long. Embryo with flattened 
wing-lke aviledans, longitudinally folded. 7 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE CXL. 
Pisonia Brunoniana, Endl. 1. Flowering specimen and large leaf, natural 
size. 2. Flower. 3. Flower with perianth partly removed. 4. Pistil. ve All 
magnified. 5 and 6. Fruits, natural size. 7. Utricle, with remains of filaments 
atits base. 8, Embryo. Magnified. ‘i 
