late, acuminate, narrowed into the petiole, dark-green and glossy above, paler beneath; margins coarsely serrate, the teeth often curved and acute; petioles ½–¾ in. long. Spikes closely branched in a racemiform manner, 1–2 in. long; branches opposite, springing from the axils of a pair of connate bracts. Male flowers alone seen, rather closely placed, each one in the axil of a broadly ovate acute bract, and with a smaller bracteole on each side. Anther sessile, ⅛ in. long, linear-oblong, cylindric; connective thick, produced at the tip into a minute usually recurved apiculus.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, not uncommon on the hills, McGillivray, T.F.C. August–September.
This was reduced to A. lucida in the Handbook, but appears to be sufficiently distinct in the larger and narrower more acuminate leaves, and larger anthers. The same species, or a very close ally, is found in Fiji, Samoa, and Rarotonga.
2. A. lucida, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 228.—A perfectly glabrous closely branched shrub or small tree 10–25 ft. high, with a trunk 6–12 in. diam.; branches slender, terete, striate when dry, dark purplish-red. Leaves 1–2 in. long including the petiole, obovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse or acute, cuneate at the base, dark-green and glossy above, often glaucous beneath, margins coarsely and often obtusely serrate; petioles ⅓ in. long. Spikes laxly branched in a racemiform manner, the females more slender and more sparingly divided than the males; branches opposite, pendulous. Flowers minute, alternate, each one in the axil of a broadly ovate acute bract with a smaller bracteole on each side. Anther sessile, oblong, 110 in. long. Female flowers sometimes 2 or 3 together. Ovary broadly ovoid; stigma very broad, truncate. Ripe fruit not seen.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 258. A. rubricaulis, Solms in D.C. Prodr. xvi. 1, 478 (in part).
North Island: Auckland—Hokianga, Buchanan; Bay of Islands, Kirk; Whangarei, H. Carse, T.F.C.; Little Barrier Island, T.F.C.; Coromandel, Petrie! Waitakarei Ranges, T.F.C.; near Waihi, Petrie! Taranaki—Mount Egmont, Buchanan. Wellington—Wairarapa Valley, Colenso! South Island: Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander; Keneperu, J. Rutland! Nelson—Cape Foulwind, W. Townson! Westland—R. Helms. Otago—Common in the sounds of the south-west coast, Hector! Preservation Inlet, Kirk! Stewart Island: C. Traill. Sea-level to 2500 ft. September–November.
Although this extends through almost the whole length of the colony it is remarkably local, rarely occurring in any quantity. It is perhaps more abundant in the south-west of Otago than in any other locality.
Order LXVIII. MONIMIACEÆ.
Trees or shrubs, often aromatic. Leaves opposite, rarely alternate, simple; stipules wanting. Flowers regular, hermaphrodite or unisexual, usually in short cymes or racemes. Perianth inferior,
