Art. LVI.—Notes on New Zealand Plants.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 12, 1879, Page 380

Art. LVI.—Notes on New Zealand Plants. By J. Buchanan, F.L.S. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 21st February, 1880.] Mesembryanthemum æquilaterale, Haw. Baron von Mueller informs me that this species is often found accompanying Mesembryanthemum australis, Soland., and may be distinguished by the longer acutely trigonous leaves and pulpy fruit. Zannichellia palustris, Linn.* [For reference to the occurrence in New Zealand of Zannichellia (Lepilæna) palustris, Linn., and L. preissii, F. Mueller, see papers by T. Kirk, F.L.S., in Trans. N.Z. Inst., III., 143; VII., 508; X. App. xl.—Ed.] According to Baron von Mueller, there is little doubt that the plant under this name belongs to the genus Lepilæna. The difference between Zannichellia and Lepilæna consists in the male flowers. These may be easily found all the year round in New Zealand at the swollen bases of the leaves, and generally on distinct plants from the female. Solanum vescum, F. Muell. Respecting this species, its author states that it may often be found growing with Solanum aviculare; Forst. It is a smaller shrub, and is distinguished from the latter by the angular dark-green branches, small entire dark-green leaves, darker coloured flowers, with somewhat different stamens, berries small, roundish, and green, never egg-shaped or orange-colour when ripe. The natives of Australia always avoid the fruit of S. aviculare, as poisonous, but eat with impunity that of S. vescum. The following plants have been recently added to the flora of New Zealand:— Oreostylidium, Berggren, nov. gen. This genus is founded on a small alpine, Stylidium subulatum, Hook. fil., Handb. N.Z. Flora, I., 168; placed in that genus by Hooker from imperfect flowering specimens. Oreostylidium differs from Stylidium in the deeply divided corolla, short erect column, and indehiscent capsule. Habitat in New Zealand, Ruapehu Mountain, Swampy Hill near Dunedin, Inver-cargill, Berggren; Nelson Mountains, Travers; Haast. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, 1878, p. 1. Abrotanella linearis, Berggren, n. sp. A larger plant than A. pusilla of Hook. fil., Handbook N.Z. Flora, I., 139. Scape longer and bracteate. Leaves long, obtuse, spreading. Otira Gorge, Canterbury, 3,000ft. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, 1878, p. 14. Dracophyllum acerosum, Berggren, n. sp. Mount Torlesse and Bealy River, Canterbury. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, 1878, p. 15.

Plantago triandra, Berggren, n. sp. Differs from other New Zealand species in the solitary flowers, which are subsessile in the woolly axils of the leaves. Corolla 3-lobed, sepals minute, capsule scarious, seeds numerous. Otira Gorge, Canterbury. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, 1878, p. 16. Thelymitra intermedia, Berggren, n. sp. Bay of Islands, l.c., 1878, p. 21. Kelleria (Drapetes) villosa, Berggren, n. sp. Distinguished from all its congeners by the ramifying stems and leaves, which are woolly on the back. Mount Torlesse, 5000ft., l.c., 1878, p. 18. Isolepis subcucullata, Berggren, l.c., p. 22. Cladium complanatum, Berggren, l.c., p. 23. Oreobolus strictus, Berggren, l.c., p. 25. Carex tenax, Berggren, l.c., p. 27. " dipsacea, Berggren, l.c., p. 28. " comans, Berggren, l.c., p. 28. " pulchella, Berggren, l.c., p. 29. " cirrhosa, Berggren, l.c., p. 29. " buchanani, F. Muell., n. sp. MS. This species belongs to the section with 2 stigmas. Danthonia ovata, Buchanan, Indigenous Grasses of New Zealand, plate XXIX., 2. " australis, Buchanan, l.c., plate XXXI. " pilosa, R. Brown, var. stricta, Buchanan, l.c., plate XXXIII., 1, A. " pilosa, R. Brown, var. racemosa, Buchanan, l.c., plate XXXIII., 2, B. " semiannularis, R. Brown, var. alpinus, Buchanan, l.c., plate XXXIV., 2, A. " pauciflora, R. Brown, l.c., plate XXXVI., B. " thomsonii, Buchanan, l.c., plate XXXVI., 2. Poa foliosa, Hook. fil., l.c., plate XLII. " foliosa, Hook. fil., var. γ, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLIII., B. " anceps, Forst., var. ε debilis, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLVI., E. " anceps, Forst., var, ζ minimè, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLVI., F., equals Poa pusilla, Berggren, Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, 1878, p. 31. " intermedia, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLVIII., A. " acicularifolia, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLIX., A. " uniflora, Buchanan, l.c., plate XLIX., B. " pygmœa, Buchanan, l.c., plate L., A. Poa enysi, Kirk, undescribed, Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. IX. p. 500.

Poa albida Buchanan, l.c., plate L., C. Equals Poa anceps, Forst., var. ε alpina, Hook. fil., Handb. N.Z. Flora, I., p. 339; also Poa sclerophylla, Berggren, Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, p. 30, 1878. " mackayi, Buchanan, l.c., plate LI., A. " kirkii Buchanan, l.c., plate LI., B. Poa purpurea, Kirk, undescribed, Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. IX., p. 500. " sclerophylla, Berggren, Trans. Roy. Soc. Lund, p. 30. " pusilla, Berggren, Trans. Royal Soc. Lund, p. 31. Agrostis æmula, R. Brown, β spathacea, Berggren, l.c., p. 32. Schedonorus littoralis, R. Brown, var. triticordes, Bentham, Fl. Austral., VII., p. 655. Indigenous Grasses of New Zealand, plate LIV. Triticum scabrum, R. Brown, var. tenue, Buchanan, l.c., plate LVIII., B. Stipa petriei, Buchanan, l.c., plate XVII., 2. Deyeuxia scabra, Bentham. Indigenous Grasses of New Zealand., plate XXVI., 2.