C—l 4

7

Some of these are dealt with in other sections, and so are not described here. The kauri (Agathis australis) is a very lofty and massive forest-tree (Photo 3), having a columnar trunk from 4 ft. to 12 ft. in diameter or more, 50 ft. to more than 80 ft. tall without a branch, covered with a shining grey bark, the outer part of which is more or less loose and in large scales and with a head of enormous branches spreading upwards and outwards, which finally bear somewhat twisted, gnarled, terete branchlets marked with old leaf-scars, which at their ultimate 12 in. give off closely numerous branchlets almost at right angles, in opposite or subopposite threes. These branchlets are green in colour, stout but flexible, and arch upwards. They are generally furnished with similar but much shorter final leaf-bearing branchlets, and the arching ot the ultimate branch-system is such that the leaves touch and a close head of olive-green foliage results. The leaves are closely and spirally arranged, imbricating, but do not touch one another. They are olive-green, thick, coriaceous, rather stiff, linear-oblong to obovate-oblong in shape, and about Hin long by tV in. broad. On the bark are many wavy lines and close reddish warts. The young kauri is quite different in its form from the adult (Photo 4). The branches are slender, inserted at right angles to the main trunk, and arch upwards, especially at their extremities where •ire given off numerous short, yellow-green branchlets at an acute angle and pointing upwards and outwards These are closely covered with lanceolate leaves near their apices, the whole mass of yellow greenery rather compart and gradually tapering to a blunt apex. The rootlets of the kauri are closely covered with nodules. The flowers are monoecious, the female cones finally almost spherical and falling to pieces when the seed is mature. The tarairi (Beilschmiedia tarairi) is a lofty-evergreen tree, 50 ft. to 80 ft. tall, with a straight ereot, slender trunk 1J ft. to 3 ft. in diameter, covered with brown or reddish-brown bark whioh frequently appears white owing to the presence of a crustaceous lichen. The branches are usually few- and short, the lower o*nes are given off more or less at a right angle, and frequently droop or arch downwards somewhat. The upper branches pass off at a narrower angle. 1 rom all sides of the main branches others are given off more or less at right angles, and these again branch similarly, but usually with a curve. Finally there pass off tit an acute angle short branches, quite stout and furnfshed closely with leaves, the. whole system making a dense but rather small head to the tree The leaves are of oblong type, about 5 in. long by 3 in. broad, simple, entire, darkgreen and slightly glossy, bluish-white on under surface through a waxy covering, coriaceous, stiff and elastic, 'the distinct pale yellowish-green raised veins giving a special firmness. The flowers ate small and hermaphrodite, and are succeeded by large, dark-purple berries. The final branchlets, petioles, and veins of the leaves beneath, and the upper surface of young leaves, are closely covered with a reddish-brown velvety tomentum. the northern rata (Metrosideros robusta) is a very lofty forest-tree, sometimes reaching 100 ft or more in height, with a thick, frequently enormous trunk, most irregular in shape; a reddish-brown bark, furrowed longitudinally and transversely, which falls off in flakes; and with spreading, often crooked, branches, forming a rounded head, the final branchlets of each main branch being densely leafy, and making close, dark, but vivid-green masses, which are not intermingled with one another. The leaves are from 1 in. to H in. long, of lanceolate type, coriaceous, thick, and dark shining green. The flowers are dark-scarlet and produced in great quantities. The seeds are minute, light, and very numerous. The maireire (Phebalium nudum) is a bushy shrub 6 ft. to 12 ft. tall, made up of a close mass of erect and semi-erect slender leafy twigs, dark-purple below but reddish-purple above, the whole having a flecked reddish appearance. The leaves are small, linear-oblong, an inch or so long, rather glossy green, marked with red, especially on the under-surfaoe, coriaceous, moderately thick, and strongly aromatic The flowers are white, Jin. in diameter, fragrant, ami arranged in many-flowered corymbs. The forest-groundsel (Senecio Kirkii) is, where there is room for its development, a symmetrical, slender-stemmed shrub about 12 ft. tall. The main stem is covered with slightly furrowed light-brown bark, naked and unbranched below, but above branching into stiff, straight branches, three or four together, which radiate outwards and upwards, and which, at the lower part of the plant, may be 2 ft. long, but <jet shorter towards the summit, finally branching into three or more short,' stiff twigs, which bear'rosettes or semi-rosettes of spreading leaves near their extremities. The whole shrub is loose and open, and of a candelabra-like form. The leaves are very variable in shape (this depending mainly on their width and degree of toothing), tender and soft, rather fleshy and thick, cold and clammy to the touch, moderately dark-green on the upper surface, quite pale beneath, and twenty, more* or loss, are crowded together near the extremity of the naked stem. The young steins are soft, purple, flexible, and of herbaceous character. The flower heads are very numerous, '-'in. in diameter, conspicuous, and beautiful through their pure-white ray-florets. . Aheuomia macrophyUa is ■ slender-branched shrub of irregular habit, with very brittle, dark-brown, stiff stems, greenish near their extremities, frequently bent, and branching most sparingly into distant, flexible, leafy twigs. The leaves are variable in shape, usually of ovatelanceolate type, dark-green, much paler on under-surface, glossy, moderately thick, flexible, coriaceous, simple, and almost entire. The floxvers are in fascicles of two to four, 1J in. long by fin. across, deliriously scented, the mouth of the tube creamy-yellow in colour, marked with pink lines on the exterior and flushed with pink within, or quite unstained in the interior of flower. The rimu (Dacrydium rvpressinum) is a very tall forest-tree with a straight, unbranched trunk, 2 ft. to 6 ft. in diameter, covered with dark-brown bark which scales off in large flakes. The head of foliage is small for the size of the tree, occupies about its upper sixth, and is made up of short branches given off at first at a wide angle, which branch three or four times and finally give off numerous drooping leafy twigs, which hang vertically and give a weeping appearance to the tree. The leaves imbricate, are linear, short, trigonous, and in. to \ in. long.