pressed, about 112 in. long, enclosed for ⅓ of their length or more in a lax cup-shaped aril.—Pilger in Pflanzenreich, iv. 5, 51. D. Westlandicum, T. Kirk inTrans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 387, t. 18; Forest Fl. t. 85; Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 1218.
North Island: Between Mongonui and Kaitaia, Garse! Whangaroa, Hector! between the Bay of Islands and Whangarei, Colenso; Great Barrier Island, Kirk! Waimarino Forest, Kirk! South Island: Not uncommon along the West Coast from Collingwood to Martin's Bay, Kirk! Spencer! Townson! Brame! Helms! &c. Sea-level to 3000 ft. Silver-pine; Monoao.
Very close to the preceding; but the leaves of the young trees are much flatter, more decurrent, and often distichous; the mature leaves are smaller and the branchlets more slender; and the nuts are smaller, often 2 together, and are enclosed sometimes almost as far as the middle in the unusually welldeveloped aril. The wood is yellowish-white, straight-grained, strong and compact, very durable. It is exported from Westland to all parts of the colony for railway-sleepers, and has been used with good results for the framework of bridges, wharves, &c.
D. Colensoi is a species which has been much misunderstood. By nearly all writers the name has been applied to the mountain-plant originally described by Sir W. J. Hooker in the "Icones Plantarum" (t. 544) as Podocarpus(?) biformis, the Dacrydium biforme of this work, although the two species are in reality totally different. The mistake appears to have originated in the "Flora Novæ Zealandiæ," where Sir J. D. Hooker quoted Podocarpus(?) biformis as a synonym of D. Colensoi. His description is based entirely on D. biforme, and the localities given (Dusky Bay, Menzies; Tongariro and Ruahine Mountains, Colenso; mountains near Nelson, Bidwill) all unquestionably refer to the same plant. It is curious that, although the original plate of D. Colensoi is cited in the Flora, no reference is given to the locality in which the species was first discovered. From a letter of Mr. Colenso's sent with the type specimens, and published in the London Journal of Botany (Vol. i. p. 301), this appears to have been the rough forest country between Whangarei and the Bay of Islands—a station quite 250 miles to the north of the northern limit of D. biforme. Early in the preparation of this work a comparison of the original descriptions and figures convinced me that, although the plate of Podocarpus(?) biformis was a very faithful representation of the plant to which all New Zealand botanists, following the example of Sir J. D. Hooker, at that time assigned the name of Colensoi, it by no means corresponded with the original plate of D. Colensoi. Not only did the two plants differ in a marked degree in habit and foliage, but the figures given of the fruit of D. Colensoi were so unlike that of D. biforme as to make their specific distinctness beyond all doubt. It therefore became necessary to restore Podocarpus(?) biformis to the rank of a species under the name of D. biforme. Further study of the original plate of D. Colensoi made it clear that two subsequently described species—D. intermedium and D. Westlandicum—were evidently close allies, intermedium so far as the foliage was concerned, Westlandicum with respect to the fruit. Under these circumstances I applied to Kew with the object of having these two plants compared with the type specimens, but, unfortunately, it was found that the latter were no longer in the herbarium. About this time Dr. Pilger, of Berlin, took up the study of the Taxaceæ for "Das Pflanzenreich." Fortunately he found one of Colenso's original specimens in the Imperial Herbarium at Vienna. He has thus been able to compare it with the other New Zealand species, and has satisfied himself that it is identical with D. Westlandicum. I willingly accept this decermination, although D. Westlandicum usually has much more slender branches than those figured in the original plate. I am also glad to take this opportunity of referring New Zealand students to Dr. Pilger's memoir, which contains carefully prepared descriptions of the whole of the New Zealand Taxads, and much valuable information respecting them.
