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2. HOHERIA, A. Cunn.

Small trees, with alternate, petioled, excessively variable, pellucid-dotted foliage, and fascicled, axillary, white, hermaphrodite flowers. Peduncules jointed in the middle. Bracts 0. — Calyx with a broad cup-shaped tube and 5 teeth. Petals linear-oblong, obtuse, oblique. Stamens 5-adelphous. Ovary 5-celled; styles 5, filiform, stigmas capitate. Carpels (unknown in H. Sinclairii) laterally quite flat, whorled round a central axis, from which they fall away when ripe, indehiscent, crested at the back with a membraneous wing. Seed pendulous.

Leaves ovate-lanceolate or linear-oblong, sharply toothed … 1. H. populnea.
Leaves broadly ovate, bluntly serrate 2. H. Sinclairii.

1. H. populnea, [1] A. Cunn.; — Fl. N. Z. i. 30. Tree 10-30 ft. high, branches hoary. Leaves glabrous, excessively variable in size, shape and toothing, 2-5 in. long, ovate or lanceolate, generally sharply or coarsely double-toothed or serrate. Flowers abundantly produced, snow-white, glabrous or hoary, ¼-¾ in. diam. Carpels produced backwards and upwards into a wing. — Hook. Ic. Pl. t. 565, 566.

Var. α. vulgaris. Leaves ovate, with large sharp teeth.
Var. β. lanceolata [2]. Leaves linear or oblong-lanceolate, toothed or serrate.
Var. γ. angustifolia [3]. Leaves small, linear-oblong, spinulose-toothed. Flowers small. H. angustifolia, Raoul, Choix, 48. t. 26.
Var. δ. cratægifolia [4]. Leaves ovate, variously lobed and toothed.
Abundant throughout the islands, Banks and Solander, etc. The bark affords a demulcent drink, and is also used for cordage.

2. H. Sinclairii, [5] Hook. f., n. sp.. Larger in all its parts than H. populnea, and readily distinguished by its ovate, acute, obtusely serrate, coriaceous, glabrous leaves. The peduncles are usually binate, and shorter than the petioles. It much resembles Plagianthus Lyallii, but the leaves are not cordate, more serrate, the peduncles jointed in the middle, stigmas capitate, and carpels 5.

Northern Island: near Auckland?, Sinclair. I find this fine species amongst some Auckland plants, sent without localities by Dr. Sinclair.

Appendix: Hoheria populnea. — Colenso informs me that var. α is not found south of Bream Bay.

[1] The plants Hooker treats as H. populnea are now divided into several species.
[2] This is H. sexstylosa.
[3] This is H. angustifolia.
[4] This is now treated as a variety with juvenile foliage maintained by vegetative propagation.
[5] Now treated as a cultivar of H. sexstylosa

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