5. H. chathamica, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst, xxviii. (1896) 514.—An erect glabrous shrub; bark furrowed, dotted with minute lenticels. Leaves alternate, 2–5 in. long, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, acute, narrowed into a short petiole, sharply toothed; margins thickened; veins reticulate on both surfaces. Flowers in crowded fascicles along the branches, diœcious; pedicels slender, longer than the flowers, decurved. Male flowers: Sepals ovate, free almost to the base. Petals more than twice as long as the sepals, revolute at the tips. Anthers with a lanceolate jagged connective more than half as long as the cells; dorsal scale cuneate-spathulate. Female flowers not seen. Berry ovoid or subglobose, white, usually 4-seeded. Seeds angled, outer surface convex; strophiole small.—Students' Fl. 45. H. latifolia var. chathamica, F. Muell. Veg. Chatham Is. 9.
North Island: Wellington—Patea, Hector! Chatham Islands: Capt. G. Mair! H. H. Travers! F. A. D. Cox! Mahoe. September–October.
There is little to separate this from the preceding except the longer and narrower sharply toothed leaves and the 4-seeded berry, and I doubt the constancy of this latter character. Sir James Hector's Patea specimens have neither flowers nor fruit, but appear to belong to the same species.
Order V. PITTOSPOREÆ.
Trees or shrubs, rarely climbers. Leaves alternate or whorled, simple, seldom toothed or lobed, exstipulate. Flowers regular, hermaphrodite or more rarely unisexual, terminal or axillary. Sepals 5, free or connate at the base, imbricate. Petals 5, hypogynous, imbricate, often cohering at the base, limb spreading or recurved. Stamens 5, hypogynous, free; anthers versatile. Ovary normally 1-celled, with 2–5 parietal placentas, but often more or less completely 2–5-celled from the intrusion of the placentas; style simple; ovules usually numerous on each placenta. Fruit capsular or succulent and indehiscent. Seeds generally numerous; albumen copious; embryo minute, with the radicle next the hilum.
Genera 9: species about 120. The order is confined to Australia, with the exception of Pittosporum itself, which has a wide distribution in the warm regions of the Old World. Many of the species are more or less resinous and aromatic.
PITTOSPORUM, Banks.
Trees or shrubs, glabrous or tomentose. Leaves alternate or subverticillate, usually entire, rarely sinuate-toothed or lobed. Flowers axillary or terminal, solitary or in fascicles umbels or corymbs. Sepals free or connate below. Petals 5, with erect claws, often connivent below; tips recurved. Stamens 5, erect; filaments subulate; anthers 2-celled, introrse. Ovary incompletely 2–4-celled; style short. Capsule globose, ovoid or obovoid,
