Art. LXXVIII.—Notes on some Otago Plants.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 9, 1876, Page 538

Art. LXXVIII.—Notes on some Otago Plants. By G. M. Thomson, [Read before the Otago Institute, 24th October, 1876.] Since the publication in Vol. I. of the “Trans. N.Z. Institute” of Mr. Buchanan's excellent List of the Flowering Plants of Otago, no additions seem to have been made to our knowledge in this respect by local botanists. The following supplementary list of plants collected by Messrs. Petrie, Purdie, and myself, is intended as a small contribution in this direction. There is no doubt that if more information of this kind were obtainable it would be found that species hitherto considered to be very limited in their range would be found to be widely distributed. So much is this the case that Hooker's Flora is found to be of no use as an authority on the distribution of the species, most of those in the accompanying list being given as from the North Island only, and in some cases from only one locality. There are many agencies at work throughout the Colony, such as enclosing of land for grazing, burning, clearing of bush, etc., which greatly affect the indigenous flora. As instances of the above, and of the rapid appearance and disappearance of plants, the following facts are interesting. Three years ago Gentiana montana began to be noticed on the Town Belt of Dunedin. In the summer before last it had increased to such an extent that

the sward in many parts was white with its flowers during the months of January, February, and March. Last season cattle were not permitted to graze on the belt, the grass got full freedom to grow, and as a result I sought in vain during the whole summer for a single Gentian flower. No doubt if the grass were once more kept down, this plant being bitter and untouched by cattle would again appear abundantly. In Stewart Island I found Utricularia monanthos on a tract of swampy ground not many feet above high-water mark, from which a thick scrubby bush had been burned off only a few months previously. In no other part did I meet with this plant, though it probably occurs in open marshy ground higher up the hills. Again, Eurphrasia antarctica, formerly occurring sparingly on Flagstaff Hill, has within the last year or two overrun the whole southern side of the hill; while the cutting down of the bush in the neighbourhood of Dunedin has been accompanied by a great increase in the number and variety of the species of Erechitites. The following plants are given by Mr Buchanan as occurring only in the western region of the Province, but are to be found also in the eastern. Colobanthus acicularis; C. subulatus; Metrosideros lucida (Bluff, Nuggets and Stewart Island); Ligusticum brevistyle; Angelica gingidium; Olearia hectori (Saddle Hill); Brachycome sinclarii (Flagstaff Hill, etc.; Cotula pyrethrifolia (neighbourhood of Dunedin, not uncommon); Raoulia tenuicaulis (Otago Peninsula, Waitati, etc.); R. glabra (Flagstaff, etc.); R. grandiflora (summit of Maungatua); Gnaphalium bellidioides; G. luted-album; Senecio bellidioides; S. lautus; and S. rotundifolius (Stewart Island). Order.—Violacee. 1. Melicytus macrophyllus (A. Cunn.) Waikari Creek, near Dunedin. 2. M. lanceolatus (Hook., f.) 3. M. lanceolatus, var. Leaves, 2–4 inches long, ¾—1 inch broad; oblanceolate, acute, very closely serrate, slightly coriaceous, on stout petioles ¼—½ inch long. Flowers small, chocolate-brown, in fascicles of 2–5 on stoutish decurved peduncles, ¼—½ inch long, bracteate close to the flower. Stigma, 3-fid. Waikari Creek and West Taieri Bush. I have described the last at some length, as Mr Kirk, to whom I sent a specimen, referred it to M. macrophyllus. With due deference to his superior judgment, I consider that its general resemblance to M. lanceolatus—the shape and texture of its leaves, the appearance of its flowers, and its 3-fid stigma—warrant me in naming it as above. (All the above were collected by Mr. A. Purdie.) Mr. Purdie also informs me that M. micranthus occurs in the neighbourhood of Dunedin, but I have seen no specimens.

4. Hymenanthera crassifolia. (Hook, f.), var. A densely-branched, almost leafless, tortuous shrub, 2–3 feet high, with the habit of a Discaria, forming an impenetrable bush. Leaves very few, from ¼—1 inch long, spathulate, entire, or with one or two sinuous serrations, coriaceous, sessile. Flowers 1/8 of an inch long, very abundantly produced on the under side of the branches, solitary, or in fascicles of 2 or 3, almost sessile, minutely bracteate. Sepals triangular, thick, with scarious margins. Petals twice as long as sepals, oblong, recurved, yellowish-brown. Taieri River, near the mouth. Order.—Malvaceæ. 5. Plagianthus divaricatus (Forst.), salt marshes near Dunedin. Order.—Leguminosæ. 6. Swainsonia novœ-zealandiœ (Hook., f.), Mount St. Bathans, 4—5,000 feet (D. Petrie). Order.—Rosaceæ 7. Acœna novœ-zealandiœ (Hirk), Hills to east of Taieri Plain, probably common. Order.—Grassulaceæ. 8. Tillœa, sinclairii (Hook., f.), Tomahawk Lagoon, near Dunedin. 9. T. verticillaris (D.C.), not uncommon on dry rocky ground. Order.—Droseraceæ. 10. Drosera binata (Labill.), Kaikorai Lagoon, near Dunedin; Bluff; Stewart Island. Order.—Halorageaceæ. 11. Haloragis micrantha, (Br.), common on dry ground. 12. H. tenuissima (Kirk), Flagstaff Hill and Chain Hills. 13. Myriophyllum variœfolium, (Hook., f.), common in marshes. 14. Callitriche verna (Linn.), common in swamps. Order.—Onagrarlæ. 15. Epilobium nummularifolium (A. Cunn.), var. γ. brevipes, Chain Hills, and other places near Dunedin. Order.—Umbelliferæ. 16. Hydrocotyle americana (Linn.), Town-belt of Dunedin. 17. Pozoa trifoliolata (Hook., f.), Tomahawk Lagoon and Saddle Hill. 18. P. trifoliolata, var tripartita, Tomahawk Lagoon. 19. P. hydrocotyloides (Hook., f.), Mount St. Bathans, 3,500 feet. (D. Petrie). 20. Crantzia lineata (Nutt.), Tomahawk Lagoon (D. Petrie). Order.—Araliaceæ. 21. Stilbocarpa polaris (Dene. and Planch.), Stewart Island. 22. Panaæ longissimum (Hook., f.), common, probably unintentionally omitted by Mr. Buchanan.

Order.—Compositeæ. 23. Cotula squalida (Hook., f.), Bluff Hill, Stewart Island. 24. Erechtites glabra (Kirk), Nuggets, Catlin River. 25. Senecio sciadophilus (Raoul. Choix.), Otago Peninsula and Saddle Hill; probably not uncommon. Flowers late, February to March. Order.—Myrsineæ. 26. Myrsine chathamica (F. Muëll)., I found a single tree of this beautiful species at the head of Wilson Bay, Stewart Island. It probably occurs sparingly in the south of that island. Order.—Convolvulaceæ. 27. Cuscuta densiflora (Hook., f.), growing on Fuchsia at Green Island (A. Purdie). Order.—Boragineœ. 28. Myosotis spathulata (Forst.), Lower Gorge of the Taieri, near the mouth. Order.—Scrophularineæ. 29. Mimulus repens (Br.), Ocean Beach, Dunedin. 30. Limosella aquatica, var. tenuifolia (Linn.) Tomahawk Lagoon. (Both collected by Mr. Petrie.) 31. Ourisia colmsoi, (Hook., f.), moist ground in Stewart Island. Order.—Lentibularieæ. 32. Utricullaria monanthos (Hook., f.), swamps at the Head of Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island. Order.—Verbenaceæ. 33. Teucridium parvifolium (Hook., f.) Mr. Purdie reports this plant from the neighbourhood of Dunedin. I have seen no specimens. Order.—Labiatæ. 34. Scutellaria novœ-zealandiœ (Hook., f.), Flagstaff Hill (A. Purdie). Order.—Chenopodiaceæ. 35. Chenopodium urbicum (Linn.), roadsides near Dunedin. 36. C. glaucum (Linn.), var. ambiguum, Brighton. 37. C. carinatum (Br.), Manuherikia Valley (D. Petrie.) 38. C. pusillum (Hook., f.), Manuherikia Valley and Ida Valley, (D. Petrie.) Order.—Thymeleæ. 36. Pimelea virgata (Vahl.), sea coast near Dunedin. Order.—Polygoneæ. 37. Polygonum minus (Huds.), var. decipiens, Long Bush, near Invercargill. Order.—Urticeæ. 38. Parietaria debilis (Forst,) Water of Leith, Dunedin (D. Petrie).

Order.—Orchideæ. 39. Corysanthes rivularis (Hook., f.), gullies near Dunedin and Stewart Island. 40. Chiloglottis traversii (F. Muëll.), Swampy Hill, 2,000 feet. Order.—Liliaceæ. 41. Dianella intermedia (Endl.), Chain Hills (A. Purdie). 42. Anthropodium candidum (Raoul. Choix), common. Order.—Oyperaceæ. 43. Uncinia ferruginea (Boott), damp ground near Dunedin. 44. Curex raoulii (Boott), Stewart Island. 45. Carex lambertiana (Boott), near Dunedin.