MALVAS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2504, 19 March 1902, Page 10

MALVAS.

PLAGIANTHUS LYELLI. / As has already been said, this is one of our meat attractive flowering plants. Blooming in December, and growing in its native habitat along the bunks of the streams flowing to the west, it is indesd a small tree of marvellous beauty. Not growing in single specimens, but in narrow strips, its grand display of large white flowers/three-quarters of an inch broad, single, solitary, on a stalk one inch .long, set off by large smooth green leaves, at once fascinates and rivets observation, and this is rendered more pronounced in contrast with the proximate and wide display of the scarlet rata stretching up the mountain sides.

Early in the seventies the plants which the writer introduced from the West Coast flowered for the first time, and, showing a, spray to Captain Campbell Walker (the expert ii) forestry brought from India by our Government to give an advi-sory -report on tree culture), he was much taken with it, and pronounced it very handsome. He had not previously seen a specimen of this genus of the Malva.

The distribution of P. Lyelii is confined to the AVcat Ooaat, from Nelson province to Milford- Sound, so far as has been recorded. It is, however, very easily grown and fruits freely. . The seed, which ia contained in a flat or compressed tough gk'in', is unfortunately subject to the attack of a. small insect which bores a hole through and debtioy3 vitality. In habit tho tree- is certainly deciduous, only a very few leaves surviving during winter. Veiy few specimens are seen in the gardens about Dunedin, but the extreme beauty of the flower only requires to be better known for it to be more generally sought after.

HOHERIA, from the Maori '* hohere," is another genus of the Malva, and is in many respects, identical with the former — in fact, as before spection to discriminate between them, U»e name ribbonwood being applied indiscriminately to both. Like Plagiacithus betuliuus, Hohcria populnea is found in almost every district of tho colony, " and k admired for its handsome foliage and the beauty of its pure white -flowers, which are produced in vast profusion during the early mouths of winter."- The leaves vary much in "size and shape, a"nd the marginal teeth may be either "small and regular or large and irregular. The flowers aie produced in cluster.", numbering nearly a dozen on the same stalk.

The attempt lias been made to divide or separate H. populnea into several different varieties with distinctive names, but as the difference consists principally in the shape of the leaves, and these being so variable, depending to a large extent ca the stage of growth and mode of treatment, they are*of little practical \ahse except to the ardent student. Only one other variety, has an established reputation — H. Sinclairi — quite dissimilar to populnea in many respects ; but being confined to the Auckland district it does ciot call for particular description here. HIBISCCS. Tlyc name of thi» genus h ascribed to Virgil, denoting the marsh mallow, of which there is an immense variety, some of them producing flowers of great beauty, others noted for medicinal properties, or yielding mucilage and other coinmercia' values in different countries. New Zealand can claim one variety only, H. trienum, a hispid annual with email yellow flowers with a purple eye, and found scattered over all the colony, having spreading branches and growing up to two feet in height. LEGUMINOSA. Leaving the mallow, it is now proposed to make- an incursion among the pea flowers, botanical ly termed legumes, derived from the Latin " lego," to collect, and signifying that which collects or holde, or a collection, and which in common language is called a pod — more expressive to most readers than the other. The legume is one of . the largest natural , orders of on ( our globe. Nature hag not been, very crofuse in be-

stowing representatives on New Zealand, whilbt in Australia %he has been very lavish. Take the acacia or wattle, as an example. If scimp in the number of gifts, she has selected the most brilliant gem in all her collection to compensate for the paucity in their number. The name conferred on the tribe — and there are a goodly liet of them, though not so large as the number of sons of old Jacob — is rather a fanciful one, as the nomenclature of plants generally is. The tribe is named PA?ILIOXACEA, adopted from Papilio, the generic name of the butterfly; and who that inspected the grand displays of sweet pea flowers at our lecont shows would deny the aptness of the appropriation — not that the species we possess have " coats of so many colours " as Joseph's, but what we lack m variety is amply made up by greater brilliancy and intensity, as well as durability. Just as one butterfly differs from another in beauty, so variety obtains amongat the families of this tribe, and it may here be remarked it is the principal division of the order. Coming now to the branches of the tribe, the first in our collection is CAHMICIIAELIA, named after Captain H. Carmichael, author of " The Flora of Tristan da Acunha," and although his forbears did not create for themselves a name among the clans of- Scotland 'his name has established itself as the head of a genera of an important tribe ronfined to New Zealand, and will be as enduring as botanic science itself. ** A most singular genus, unique as regards the structure of the pod, in -which the edges of the valree become consolidated, and their faces either, open, towards, the tips as valves or fall altogether away/ C. cra&jicaulis falls first to be noticed. It H a small Alplcie shrub, with strong round branchlcts with deep hairy grooves, leaves not seen, flowers in large* clusters on short stalks, pod unknown, a"nd grows at altitudes of 3500 to 5000 feet; aho found at Lindw Pas,*. Crassicaulia is pronounced -a^fine species. The name means " thick stem." There are nearly a dozen varieties, which have much the same features of resemblance, habit, and locality. AH" of them are small shrubs, much branched, flowering, and are either leafless or leaves unseen or very small. The snowy regions are their favourite locality, in very few instances are they found »virhin the coastal zone. That they enjoy their giddy height of 5000 ft above the sea is evident, as they not only exist, but thrive aud continue to live. What kind of plant life is enjoyed can only be guessed at ; yet there they are, covered with snow for 11 months in the year, and are all alive. It ia a question difficult to Eolve, if not past finding out, and has its parallel under opposite conditions in the plants which grow amid the arid, sunburnt wattes and deserts of Africa. There are too other genera of the tribe, to "which reference will shortly be made. 2COTOSPARTIUII was named by Hooker, and means " spurious broom." It is a shrub or email tree, with slender pendulous branches like whipcord, leaves ' not seen, flowers rather small. He says regarding it: "A most curious genus," allied in habit and many other respects Jo * Carmichael.' but widely differing from it . and from all others known to me," and so he appended the name of the captain to it. Not of wide distribution, it* nearest recorded habitation is bandy and rocky places on tho banks of the Waihopai River, aud it is called " pink broom." BWAIXSOXIA, another genus, named after a celebrated English naturalist, is very similar to the Astragalis, or milk vetch, so common in our flower gardens in its hundred phapes and hues; but a* it has only one variety of Maori lineage it has properly been named S. Novae Zealandire, and is very sparsely disseminated. . The remaining two genera will be noticed in our next, being tho most important, and therefore deserving of special consideration.

—I. M. L