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6 2 FLORA ANTARCTICA. [^A u cìd a n d a n d
In the several instances of the flowers being triandrous, the stamens were all perfect ; two in the usual
position of those organs in Vero/iica, and the third opposite the upper segment, and lience in a position analogous
to the centre of the lower lobe. I found no trace of abortive stamina in other parts of the corolla, or in
the position of the third stamen in diandrous flowers.
'I'hc capsules vary much in size, from 2 lines to nearly ^rd of an inch in length. Those with three valves
were very large, and in one instance occupied the whole raceme ; in other cases only a few of the capsules
were 3-celled. In most instances, and always in the 2-valved, the valves separate from the central column
which bears the placentæ and seeds, and the dehiscence is truly septicidal. In many of those with the additional
valve, the capsule is only partially septicidal, one or more of the valves separating from the central column ;
whilst the inner margins of the dissepiments of the others are united from above the middle to the base, with
the seeds attached to an inflexed portion and escaping at the top of the capsule, which is split no further down
in front than at the back ; in other cases all the contiguous dissepiments were thus united, and with the valves
not separating at all, either from the axis or from one another, or with the axis itself dividing into three portions,
which remain attached to the valves; in both the latter cases the capsules are spuriously loculicidal. I
am not aware of this dehiscence occurring in any other of the New Zealand shrubby species of Veroiiica, or that
a 3-valved capsule has been previously observed in tbe Natural Order Scrophuïarineoe.
P late XXXIX & XL. Fig. 1, flower; Jig. 2, calyx with an outer segment removed, showing the ovarium ;
Jig. 3, a regular triandrous corolla; Jig. 4, the same laid open ; Jig. 5. a diandrous corolla; Jig. 6, a similar one
with a lateral segment toothed ; Jig. 7, a 6-cleft corolla, the upper segment split and one stamen abortive ; Jig. 8,
another 6-cleft corolla, triandrous, the lower segment divided into three ; Jig. 9, a 3-cleft corolla ; Jig. 10, a stamen
; Jig. 11, transverse section of an ovarium ; Jig. 12, back, and Jig. 13, lateral view of a capsule ; Jig. 14,
transverse section o f do. ; Jig. 15, column and seeds ; fg . 16, a 3-celled capsule; fig. 17, transverse section of
do., w ith one valve free, the other partially united to the column ; fig. IS, transverse section of another 3-valved
capsule, with the central column divided into three parts and adhering to the valves; fig. 19, back view of a
ripe seed ; fig. 20, front view of another ; fig. 21, lateral view of do.; fig. 22, embryo :—all magnified.
3 . V e r o n i c a odora, Ho o k , fil.; fru tico sa ,g lab e rrim a , ram is ram u lisq u e erec tis s tric tis v irg a tis,
foliis d ecu ssatis unifo rm ib u s b rev ite r petiola tis eDiptico-ovatis su bm u c ro n a tis v. o b tusiusculis concavis
crassis rig id is m a rg in ib u s te n u ite r ca rtilagineis m in u te c ren u la tis, racemis b revibus ad apices ram u lorum
corym b o so -co n fe rtis, calycis laciniis 4 o b tusiusculis corollæ tu b um æ q u an tib u s , corollæ laciniis
ma joribus oblongis tu b o lo n gio rib u s, stam in ib u s corolla p aulo b rev io rib u s. (T a b . X L I .)
H a b . L o rd A u ck lan d ’s g ro u p ; in woods n e a r th e sea, n o t u n com mo n , fo rm in g sc a tte red b u sh es.
Frutex elegans, gracilis, 2-4 pedalis, parce fastigiatim ramosus. Caulis erectus, validus, nudus, semipedalis
et ultra, planta juniore obscure tetragonus, cortice atro-fusco. Rami elongati, erecti, stricti, virgati, superne
foliosi, hic illic divisi, 2 -3 pedes longi, cortice fusco, pallidiore obtecti. Ramuli graciles, crassitie fere pennæ
anatinæ, subangulati, angulis obtusis, creberrime annulati, utrinque decussatim sulcati, in sulcis puberuli, per
totam longitudinem foliosi, simplices v. rarius divisi v. ad apices floriferos furcati, olivaceo-fusci, siccitate fragiles.
Folia decussatim opposita, unc. longa, sub ^ unc. lata, omnia magnitudine formaque conformia, horizontaliter
patentia, inferiora subreflexa, caduca, brevissime petiolata, concava, interdum subcyrnbiformia, exacte
elliptico-ovata, subacuta, basi vix truncata, avenia, glaberrima, valde coriacea, subcornea, dura, marginibus
acuentibus, tenuiter cartilagineis, sub lente argute et creberrime crenulatis, supra luride viridia, subnitida,
polita, medio canaliculata ; subtus pallidiora, costa valida, elevata, percursa, opaca, punctis minimis, albidis
notata, siccitate fusco-brunnea, supra obscure transversim rugosa, rigida, subpungentia. Petioli breves, vix
L lin. longi, crassi, erecti, ramulo appressi, basilarissimi, cum ramulo incrassato articulati, facile soluti. Flores
i:'iter folia summa corymboso-racemosi, conferti, conspicui, odorem Jasmini officinalis spirantes. Racemi axilill
V I I F :
k .
FLORA ANTARCTICA. 6 3 CamphelVs Islands.]
lares et terminales, aggregate, subeapitati, denslfiorl, i unc. Icngl. Pedunculi (seu raohides) brevissimi, angu-
lati, bifariam puberuli, articulate, siccitate fragiles, infra flores bracteolati. Bracteæ parvæ, su b ^ Im. longæ baei
subconnatæ, latissime ovatæ, concavæ, subcymbiformes, crassæ et coriaceæ, marginibus membranaoe.s, eihatis.
Pedieelli brevissimi, v. subnulll. Calyx profunde 4-partitus, v. subtetraphyllus. laomiæ inter se subæquales,
bracteis æquilongæ, late ovato-cblongæ, obtusæ. tubum corollæ æquantes, medlo et præcipne versus apices incras-
satæ, 3-nerves ; marginibus tenuioribus, sub lente ciliatis. Corolla alba, subrotata v. liypoeratenform.s, tubo
(pro genere) elongato, diametro 3 -4 lin. ; tubus paulo longior quam latus, rectus ; limbus tubo longior, 4-fldus ;
laciniæ subæquales, patentes, subrecurvæ, oblongo-obovatæ, obtusæ, venosæ, superior paulo major, inferior
angustlor. Slantina 2 ; filamenta orassiusoula, subulata, laciniis corollæ paulo breviora, versus apices attenuata ;
antheræ purpureæ, majusculæ. loculis paulo divaricatis. superne confluentibus; hiue anthera subuniloeular.s,
rima hypocrepifcrmi déhiscentes. Pollen elliptioum. profunde 3-sulcatum, luteum, siccitate eastaneum, opacum.
Ovarium ovatum, acutum, compressum. bisuleatum, blloeulare. Stylus gracilis, paulo curvatus. exsertus, SUgma
minutum, vix capitatum. Fructus non visus.
This species is more remarkable for the delicious fragrance of its flowers than for any beauty of appearance
From the uniform size of the leaves and their regularly patent disposition on the slender simple branches,
it affords a more striking example of folia decussata than any of the genus. It is in this respect allied to the
V elUptica. Forst., as also in having crowded, white, subeapitate flowers, and in their being sweet-scented.
Most of these characters, and especially th a t of the corolla being white, seem more usual amongst the alpme
species of this genus in New Zealand, than in those of the lower lands of this or of other countries.
There are three other species to which this is allied ; V. diosmæfolia. R. Cunn., V. huxifolia. Benth., and F ,
Icevis Benth. The first of these, which has also white flowers, may be recognized a t once by these being in large
lax panicles ; they are small, on long, often slender peduncles, with acute calycine segments ; the leaves
also are longer and serrated. The V. huxifolia is a very fine alpine species, brought from the mountains of the
interior by Dr. Dieffenbach, which differs from the Y. odora in the leaves being more densely imbricated, shorter,
shining on both sides, and remarkably truncate at the base above the petiole ; it has also very short, often simple
racemes, covered with large concave Imbricating bracts, as in the V. BenlMmi. but closer; the tubes of the
corollaare sometimes asloug as the very broad s egm e n ts .-th a t organ is thus truly hypocrateriform ; the leaves
are covered on both sides with more numerous minute white dots. F. laevis, Benth. is more nearly allied to our
plant than any of the above in the form of the leaves, but they are more acute, more distantly placed, without
any white dots ; the panicles also are lax, minutely pubescent, the flowers smaller, and the branches singularly
black and opake when dry, terete and wrinkled, with the transverse annul! or scars remote and inconspicuous,
very unlike the generally crowded transverse contractions of its congeners, which often give the stem
the appearance of being jointed.
The leaves are closely placed in F. odora, and each is jointed upon a thickening of the stem, which thickened
portion appears like a broad petiole, united to the branch, and extending from the base of the true petiole
to the leaf below, its edges almost meeting those of a similar thickening below the opposite leaf, but leaving a
furrow between, which is covered with a fine pubescence. As this thickening occurs opposite and below each
pair of leaves above it, and the furrow to the pair below, tbe stem is decussately furrowed throughout its
length. In many, and in most species indeed, the stem is incrassated below the leaf, but tbe thickened portion
has not, as here, tbe appearance of a distinct body.
P l a t e XLI. Fig. 1. portion of the stem and pair of leaves ; fig. 2, flower ; fig. 3, calyx; fig. 4. corolla ; fig. 5,
the same cut open ; fig. 6, front, a n d /y . 7, back view of stamen ; fig. 8, ovarium ; - a l l magnified.