Manual of the New Zealand Flora/Cornaceæ
Order XXXV. CORNACEÆ.
Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite or alternate, usually entire; stipules wanting. Flowers generally small, regular, hermaphrodite or unisexual, in axillary or terminal cymes, panicles, or heads. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, limb 4–5-toothed or wanting. Petals 4–5 or wanting, inserted round the margin of an epigynous disc, valvate or imbricate. Stamens inserted with the petals and equal to them in number, rarely twice as many. Ovary inferior, 1–4-celled, crowned by a fleshy disc; style single (3 in Griselinia), long or short; ovules solitary (rarely 2–3), pendulous from the top of the cell, anatropous. Fruit usually drupaceous, indehiscent, 1–4-celled, or rarely with 2 pyrenes. Seed pendulous, testa thin; albumen copious, fleshy; embryo axile, radicle superior.
A small order, scattered over the whole world, but chiefly found in the north temperate zone. Genera 12; species 75. Properties unimportant. Of the 2 New Zealand genera, Corokia is endemic; Griselinia extends to South America.
| Hermaphrodite. Leaves narrow, silky-tomentose below | 1. Corokia. |
| Diœcious. Leaves broad, glabrous | 2. Griselinia. |
1. COROKIA, A. Cunn.
Evergreen shrubs; branches straight or tortuous; bark black. Leaves alternate or fascicled, petiolate, entire. Flowers small, hermaphrodite, yellow, in axillary or terminal panicles, racemes, or fascicles. Calyx-tube turbinate; limb 5-lobed, valvate. Petals 5, valvate, furnished with a small scale at the base, silky outside. Stamens 5. Ovary 1–2-celled; style short; stigma almost capitate, 2-lobed. Drupe ovoid or broadly oblong, crowned by the persistent calyx-limb, 1–2-celled; seeds 1 in each cell.
A small genus of 3 species, confined to the New Zealand area.
| Leaves lanceolate. Flowers in terminal panicles | 1. C. buddleoides. |
| Leaves oblong-lanceolate. Flowers in axillary racemes | 2. C. macrocarpa. |
| Leaves orbicular or obovate, narrowed into short flat petioles. Flowers in few-flowered fascicles or solitary | 3. C. Cotoneaster. |
1. C. buddleoides, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 579.—An erect much-branched slender shrub 6–12 ft. high; young branchlets, undersurface of leaves, and inflorescence densely clothed with silvery-white tomentum. Leaves alternate, shortly petioled, 3–6 in. long, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, coriaceous, dark-green and shining above; veins reticulated. Panicles terminal, leafy at the base. Flowers ¼–⅓ in diam., yellow. Petals oblong-lanceolate. Drupe oblong, ¼ in. long, dark-red.—Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 424; Raoul, Choix, 46; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 98; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 106; Kirk, Students' Fl. 224.
North Island: Not uncommon in woods from the North Cape as far south as the East Cape. Sea-level to 8000 ft. Korokia-taranga. November–December.
2. C. macrocarpa, T. Kirk, Students' Fl. 224.—An erect shrub 15–20 ft. high; branches stout, spreading; branchlets, leaves beneath, and branches of the inflorescence densely covered with silvery-white tomentum. Leaves alternate, 2–4 in. long, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, acute or apiculate, rarely obtuse, coriaceous, gradually narrowed into rather short petioles. Flowers ⅓ in. diam., yellow, in axillary racemes shorter than the leaves; pedicels short. Petals lanceolate, acute. Drupe ⅓ in. long, broadly oblong, dark-red.—C. buddleoides var. b, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 98; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 106; F. Muell. Veg. Chath. Is. 16.
Chatham Islands: Dieffenbach, H. H. Travers! Captain G. Mair! Cox! Whakataka; Rokotaka.
Closely allied to C. buddleoides, but amply distinct in the broader leaves, axillary racemose flowers, and larger fruit.
3. C. Cotoneaster, Raoul, Choix, 22, t. 20.—A rigid densely branched shrub 4–8 ft. high; branches tortuous and interlaced; bark black; branchlets, under-surface of leaves, and inflorescence clothed with appressed silvery-white tomencum. Leaves alternate or in alternate fascicles, ⅓–1 in. long; blade orbicular to obovate or oblong-ovate, obtuse or emarginate, coriaceous, shining above, suddenly narrowed into a broad flat petiole. Flowers small, axillary and terminal, solitary or 2⅓4 together; pedicels short, bracteolate. Petals narrow linear-oblong, acute. Drupe globose, ¼ in. diam., red.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 98; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 106; Kirk, Students' Fl. 224.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon from the North Cape to Poveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2500 ft. November–January.
What may prove to be a fourth species of Corokia has been collected by myself at Spirits Bay, in the North Cape district. It is a twiggy bush 6–12 ft. high, with slender branches, not tortuous. Leaves alternate, ½–1½ in. long, narrow linear-obovate or oblauceolate, narrowed into very short petioles. Flowers and fruit not seen.
2. GRISELINIA, Forst.
Shrubs or trees; branches terete or angled, transversely scarred at the nodes. Leaves alternate, often unequal at the base, broad, very coriaceous; petiole dilated into a short sheath, jointed on the branch. Flowers small, diœcious, in glabrous or pubescent panicles or racemes; pedicels jointed. Male flowers: Calyx minute, 5-toothed. Petals 5, imbricate. Stamens 5. Disc fleshy, pentagonous. Females: Calyx-tube ovoid or turbinate, limb 5-toothed. Petals valvate or wanting. Rudimentary stamens wanting. Ovary 1–2-celled; styles 3, very short, subulate, recurved; ovules solitary in each cell. Fruit a 1- or rarely 2-celled berry, 1-seeded; seed oblong, testa membranous.
A small genus of 6 species, 4 of which are natives of Chili, the remaining 2 endemic in New Zealand. The Chinese and Japanese genus Aucuba is very closely allied.
| Leaves large, 3–7 in., very unequal at the base. Petals wanting in the female flowers | 1. G. lucida. |
| Leaves smaller, 1½–4 in. long, not very unequal at the base. Petals present in both male and female flowers | 2. G. littoralis. |
1. G. lucida, Forst. Prodr. n. 401.—A stout branching shrub or small tree 3–25 ft. high, often growing on rocks or epiphytic on the branches of tall forest trees; bark thick, furrowed. Leaves 3–7 in. long, obliquely ovate or oblong, rounded at the tip, very unequal-sided at the base, bright yellow-green, glossy, very thick and leathery; petiole short, stout. Panicles axillary or subterminal, much branched, 3–6 in. long; rhachis and pedicels pubescent. Flowers minute, greenish; females apetalous. Berry ⅓ in. long, fleshy, dark-purple, usually 1-celled. Seed solitary.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 639; Raoul, Choix, 46; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 98; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 105; Kirk, Forest Fl. t. 41; Students' Fl. 225. Scopolia lucida, Forst. Char. Gen. t. 70.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon in woods from the North Cape to the Bluff. Puka. October–November.
2. G. littoralis, Raoul, Choix, 22, t. 19.—A round-headed tree 30–50 ft. high; trunk short, irregular, gnarled or twisted, 2–5 ft. diam.; bark rough, furrowed. Leaves 1–4 in. long, ovate or oblong-ovate, rounded at the tip, less unequal-sided at the base than in G. lucida and sometimes almost symmetrical, pale yellowish-green, thick and coriaceous, veins obscure; petiole rather slender, ½–1 in. long. Panicles axillary, 1–3 in. long, smaller than in G. lucida and sometimes reduced to a simple raceme; rhachis and pedicels pubescsnt. Flowers minute; both male and female with petals. Berry ¼ in. long, oblong. Seed solitary.—Hook, f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 105; Kirk, Forest Fl. t. 42; Students' Fl. 225. Pukateria littoralis, Raoul in Ann. Sci. Nat. Ser. iii. 2 (1844) 120.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Mount Tutamoe (Northern Wairoa) and the Little Barrier Island southwards, but rare and local to the north of the East Cape; abundant in the South Island. Sealevel to 3500 ft. Kapuka; Papaumu; Broad-leaf. October–November.
Timber strong, close-grained and durable; frequently used for house-blocks, fencing-posts, &c.