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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.

1. Rhopalostylis, Wendl. and Drude

1. Rhopalostylis, Wendl. and Drude.

Stem tall, erect, marked with annulate scars. Leaves in a ter-minal crown, pinnately divided; segments numerous, equidistant, narrow-ensiform, acuminate, midrib stout, margins recurved to-wards the base. Inflorescence at the base of the leaves, of a much and densely branched spadix enclosed within two boat-shaped spathes. Flowers monoecious, the males and females on the same spadix, densely crowded, sessile, usually in threes, a female in the centre with a male on each side of it. Male flowers: Sepals subu-late-lanceolate. Petals rather larger, obliquely ovate, acuminate, valvate. Stamens 6; filaments subulate, inflexed at the tips;. anthers linear-oblong, dorsifixed, versatile. Rudimentary ovary columnar. Female flowers: Smaller and broader than the males, almost globose. Sepals rounded, concave, imbricating. Petals smaller. Ovary ovoid, 1-celled; stigma sessile. 3-fid; ovule pa-rietal. Drupe ellipsoid or nearly globose; exocarp fleshy and succulent; endocarp fibrous within. Seed erect; albumen smooth, not ruminated; embryo basilar.

A genus consisting of the two following species, confined to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, and the Kermadec Islands.

Trunk rather slender, 10–30 ft. Drupe oblong 1. R. sapida.
Trunk stout, 20–50 ft. Drupe globose 2. R. Baueri.
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1.R. sapida, Wendl. and Drude in Kerch. Palm. 255.—Stem rather slender, smooth, 10–25 ft. high, 6–9 in. diam., rarely more. Leaves 4–8 ft. long; rhachis clothed with copious lepidote scales; leaflets very numerous, 2–3 ft. long or more, 1–2 in. broad, linear- ensiform, midrib and main veins covered with lepidote scales; margins replicate at the base. Spadix 1–2 ft. long, much and closely branched, glabrous; spathes 2 or 3. Flowers very densely crowded, purplish-lilac. Drupe ½ in. long, elliptic-oblong, bright- red.—Areca sapida, Soland. ex Forst. f. Pl Escul. 66; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 157; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 298; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook, f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 262, t, 59, 60; Handb. N.Z. Fl 288; Bot. Mag. t. 5139. Kentia sapida. Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. iii. 312.

North Island: Abundant in forests throughout. South Island: In low land districts not far from the coast as far south as Banks Peninsula and Hokitika, rare and local. Chatham Islands: F. A. D. Cox! Sea-level to 2000 ft. Nikau. January–April.

The nikau-palm, so well known to all residents in the northern half of the colony, is of special interest as being the most southern member of its order. The unexpanded central bud and the very young spadix are both edible, and were formerly eaten by the Maoris, and even by European settlers. Branched specimens are occasionally seen; a very remarkable one with no less than 11 branches has been described and figured by Mr. Percy Smith (Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. 357, t. 15). Mr. Cockayne refers the Chatham Islands plant to the following species, but fruiting specimens sent to me by Mr. F. A. D. Cox have the elliptic-oblong drupe of R. sapida, and not the globose one of R. Baueri.

2.It. Baueri, Wendl. and Drude in Bot. Zeit. xxxv. (1877) 638.—Very closely allied to the preceding species, but larger and stouter, sometimes attaining a height of 50 ft. with a trunk over 12 in. diam. Leaves larger and more numerous; segments usually longer and broader, inflorescence larger, the spadices said to be sometimes 3 ft. in length. Drupe altogether different in shape, globose or nearly so, ½–⅔ in. diam.—Kentia Baueri, Seem. Fl. Vit. 269; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 174. Areca Baueri, Hook. f. in Illustr. Hortic. xv. (1868) 575; Bot. Mag. t. 5735. A. sapida, Endl. Prodr. Fl. Norfolc. 26 (not of Soland.).

Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, abundant from sea-level to the tops of the hills, alt. 1500 ft., T. F. C. Chatham Islands (?): Index Kewensis, iv. 713.

Originally discovered in Norfolk Island, and supposed by Endlicher to be the same as the New Zealand species, from which it is easily distinguished by the larger size and globose fruit. It is stated to be found in the Chatham Islands in the "Index Kewensis," but I have seen no specimens from thence.