A Check List of New Zealand Charophyta By R Mason, Botany Division, D.S.I.R., Christchurch. [Received by the Editor, December 1, 1955] Abstract A list of 18 charophytes recorded in New Zealand is given, together with their distributions in New Zealand as at present known. Hooker, in the Handbook of the New Zealand Flora (1867) recorded five charophytes from New Zealand, and later Nordstedt (1880), in describing and recording those collected in 1874–75 by Berggren, brought the number up to twelve. Since then there have been a number of collections and a few other species have been recorded. The records, however, are not easily accessible to most New Zealand botanists. This paper, therefore, provides a list of all charophyte species and varieties for which there are known published records for New Zealand. Wood's list (1952) has for the most part been used in deciding the approved modern name. Under each accepted name is given the first record of a collection for New Zealand. This is under the heading “Original Collection” when it is the first record for the taxon. If there is further information there is also given the present known distribution for New Zealand as shown by published records and collections examined by the writer. It should be noted that where New Zealand or North Island is given in the first record it is sometimes clear, or highly probable, that only one or two collections were known, and in no case can such a name in a first record be safely taken as necessarily indicating a widespread distribution. Check List 1. Nitella conformis, Nordstedt. Original record: Nordstedt (1880: 18); Lake Pearson, Canterbury. 2. N. hookeri, Braun var hookeri Original record: Braun (1849: 199); New Zealand and Kerguelen Island. N.Z. Distribution: Widespread. N. hookeri, Braun, var. attenuata, Nordstedt. Original record: Nordstedt (1889: 14), Ohaewai. in Bay of Islands. N. hookeri, Braun, var. microcephala, Nordstedt Original record: Nordstedt (1880: 19); Otaua River, between Bay of Islands and Hokianga. 3. N. hyalina, (DC) Agardh var. novae-zelandiae, Braun Original record: Braun in Hochstetter (1863: 112); Lake Pupuke, Takapuna. N.Z. Distribution. Widespread. 4. N. leonhardii, Wood Original record: N. interrupta, Braun ex Leonhardi (1863: 146) as sp. ined. Presumably the specimens recorded by Leonhardi came from the Waikato River as they were collected by the Novara Expedition (Nordstedt 1880: 20), and the only specimens of this species collected by that expedition seem to be those of Jelinek, 1859, from the “Waikate River” (Braun and Nordstedt 1882: 93). N.Z. Distribution. North of latitude 39°, North Island In the Westport district. South Island.