of 
Gigantea.—The giant of the tribe and a 
noble plant. It is a native of the Chat- 
hams. In the opinion of some the plant 
would lend itself to street planting from 
the fact that it is not clothed with leaves 
tili well up the stem. The plants I have 
seen are between 4ft and 6ft high, the foll- 
age barely 2ft through. They are just three 
years old. The branches are stout and 
short. The leaves are pale green and quite 
fleshy. The plant is most noticeable 
among its congeners, and is admired greatly 
from its bold and arrogant appearance. 1 
predict a great future for Gigantea when 
plants are procurable. It has not flowered 
with those who own plants in Otago. ‘The 
flower is said to be lilac-purple. ‘There 1s 
no doubt that Gigantea is a relation of the 
smaller species of Veronica Dieffenbachii 
and Veronica Barkeri. ‘The wood is ex- 
tremely hard aud tough for a tree that 
grows so quickly. 
Parviflora.—There are two lovely speci- 
mens of this plant in public grounds in this 
city—one at the Early Settlers’ Hall, and 
another at the Museum Buildings. It is a 
native of the Great Barrier, and in a wild 
state has been seen 20ft high, but being a 
slow grower takes many years to reach that 
height, The tree is much branched, with 
a round dome-shaped head. ‘The leaves 
are narrow—about a quarter of an inch 
wide. The flowers are small and numer- 
ous, with a lilac tinge, but the piant 1s a 
shy bloomer under cultivation. The plant 
IT am describing is certainly not hke the 
Arborea in Buchanan’s herbarium, which 
Mr Cheeseman took to be identical with 
that which Vahl described in the Manual. 
(Cheeseman gives his description from 
Vahl). 
Matthewsli.—For sentimental reasons this 
charming plant will always remain a 
favourite of mine, as it was originally found 
on the slopes of the Humbolt Mountains by 
my old and valued friend, the late H. J. 
Matthews. It is a handsome plant, not 
much more than 2ft high, often less, Tho 
leaves are purplish red. It is a remark- 
ably free bloomer, being covered completely 
