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FLO RA ANTARCTICA. [A u c lc la n d a n d
XXIII. PLANTAGINEÆ, Juss.
1. P l a n t a g o (P s y llium , E n d l) Aucklandica, H o o k . fil . ; a cau lis, co llo c r a ssissim o e lo n g a to , fo liis
v ix p e tio la tis n um e ro sis con fer tis o b o v a to -lan c eo la tis o b tu s is g lab r is 7 ~ 9 -n e r v iis in te g e r r im is v .
o b scu r e sin u a to -d en ta tis , b a si an g u sta tis in tu s fe r ru g in e o -tom en to sis, scap is p lu r im is e r e c tis v . a sc en d
en tib u s parce h isp id o -p ilo s is , sp ic is lin e a r i-e lo n g a tis d en siflo r is, b ra c te is o b tu s is , s e gm en tis c a ly c in is
la te o v a tis o b tu s is , c a p su lis c a ly c e d u p lo lo n g io r ib u s 2 -sp e rm is. ( T a d . X L I I .)
H a b . L o rd A u ck la n d ’s g r o u p ; on th e m o u n ta in r id g e s a t an a ltitu d e o f 1 0 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 f e e t, in a
p e a ty soil.
Planta 4-10-pollicaris, magnitudine satis varia, habitu P . mediæ. Radix perennis, jjerpendicularis v. inclinata,
tri- quadñ-pollicaris, fusiformis, crassa, per totam longitudinem fibras crassas, succulentas, elongatas
emittens, et inferne in fibras ramosas, subsimiles desinens ; collum crassissimum, interdum pollicis diametro,
tomento rufo reliquiisque paucis foliorum vetustorum cinctum, rarius elongatum et supra terram elatum, simplex
v. rarissime biceps. Folia numerosissima, singula planta 15-30, conferta, exteriora patentia, plurima
suberecta, crassa et coriacea, exemplaribus plerisque 4-5-pollicaria, unc. lata, inter se admodum conformia,
obovato- V. elliptico-lanceolata, obtusa v. subacuta, in petiolum latum, ima basi dilatatum contracta, 7-10-
nervia, vix costata, utrinque glaberrima, v. rarius pilis conspersis, paucis, albis subhispida, præcipue ad basim
scaporum villoso-barbata, tomento molli, denso, ferrugineo, e pilis intertextis, simplicibus, remote articulatis formata
; marginibus tenuiter subrecurvis v. planis, remote et obscure sinuato-dentatis ; supra luride-viridia, opaca ;
subtus pallidiora ; siccitate fusca, v. atro-fusca ; interiora et júniora angustiora, subspathulata, 3-5-nervia ; intimis
lineari-lanceolatis. Scapi plurimi, 5-10, elongati, una-cum spica 5-8-pollicares, erecti v. ascendentes, curvati,
graciles, teretes, pilis patentibus, albis, superne præcipue subhispidi, basi ferrugineo-tomentosi, crassitie
pennæ corvinæ, siccitate atri. Spicce 2 -3 unc. longæ, ^ unc. latæ, cylindricæ, obtusæ, superne præcipue densi-
floræ, floribus basì distantibus ; rachi pilosa. Flores magnitudine P . majoris, omnino sessiles, unibracteati.
Bracteæ late ovatæ, obtusæ, concavæ, subcymbiformes, crassæ et camosæ, calyce paulo breviores, basin ejus fere
cingens. Calyx tetraphyllus, basi villosus, | lin. longus ; segmentis late ovato-oblongis, suborbicularibus, sca-
phiformibus, medio carnosis, marginibus membranaceis, siccitate scariosis. Corollæ tubus calyce paulo longior ;
limbi segmentis ovato-lanceolatis, acutis, patenti-reflexis, marginibus involutis, medio late uninerviis, tubo paulo
brevioribus. S’/arnîTin filamentis planis, flexuosis, longe exsertis; antheris majusculis, late sagittatis. Pollen
angulatum, flavum. Ovarium obovatum, compressum, utrinque sulcatum basi attenuatum, spurie biloculare ;
columna centralis placentifera a dissepimentis retractis discedens, ovula 2, peltata gerens. Capsula turgida,
ovata, fobolis calycinis bis longior.
This species is very distinct from any with which I am acquainted, and is apparently most nearly allied to
the P . hirtella, H.B.K. (Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 .127), but th a t plant has the bracteæ and calycine segments acute ;
it grows nowhere on the low grounds of Lord Auckland’s group, but appears confined to the summits of the
hills, where it is not unfrequent. It is remarkable for its numerous leaves, which are generally quite smooth
and very fleshy, often forming a dense head, not unlike that of a small cabbage. In the smoothness, thick and
succulent habit and stout collum, it bears some affinity to the caulescent species of Juan Fernandez and other
insular situations ; in some of which the apparent stems are, as in P . Fernandeziana, Bert., in reality an elongation
of the nalced collum : indeed of the so-called shrubby or caulescent species, very few of this group or
form are really so, except the P. princeps, Cham, and Schl. (Linnæa, vol. i. p. 167). The stem of P. Que-
leniana. Gaud., is of the same nature as that of P . Fernandeziana, the two plants indeed are very closely allied,
as are those of P . arhorescens of Madeira and the Canary Islands, and of P . robusta of St. Helena.
The uniform and equable climate of insular situations, especially in the southern hemisphere, would appear
peculiarly favourable to a vigorous developmeut of tbe stem and leaves of plants; there being no wmter s cold
sufficient to destroy even the herbaceous vegetation, a constant accession of new matter ensues m the
summer, which only decays with the death of the plant. Tlie elongation of the coUum is, under these eircum-
stances very frequent amongst many truly herbaceous, perennial-rooted plants, whose congeners m other cli-
mates are cut off during the winte rs frosts, close to the ground, and where the summer season is too dry to
admit of much exposure of so large a portion of the root. In the group of islands now under consideration, I
have remarked this peculiarity of structure in Ranunculus, Cardamine, Sieversia, Pozoa, both species of Pleu-
rophyllum, Celmisia. Gentiana. and others. In Kerguelen’s Land a remarkable instance occurs in the famous
Cabbage of that island, a new genus and species of Cmeifera;. to which the generic name of Fringlea was given by
its discoverer Mr. Anderson, and which I shall shortly have the opportunity of figuring as P. anUscorhutica. In
the southern extreme of America the P. mouantlws. D’Urv., assumes this spuriously caulescent form, as weU as
Statice and many other herbaceous genera, and in the various smoU oceanic islands the same character prevails.
As a natural sequence, it is to he expected that plants generally represented by small suffruticose species, should
under these circumstances become frutescent or arborescent, of which we have many instances. VeromciB,
Compositce, Araliaceie, Myrtacea, Rubiacem, Campanalacete, Loieliaceic, and Ferns, are all more fully developed m
the Pacific islands in proportion to the number of smaller species, and to the mass of the vegetation, than they
are in other climates.
Plate XLII. Fig. 1, flower and bractea ■, fig. % coroUa ; fig. 3, tbe same cut o p en ; fig. 4, anther and upper
part of filament; fig. 5, ovarium ; fig. 6, young capsule ; fig. 7, transverse section of the same -.fig .S . immature
seeds on the column; fig. 9, capsule surrounded by remains of corolla, calyx and bractea; fig. 10, hair from the
bases of the leaves :—all ?
2. P l a n t a g o (Arnoglossum, EmÆ) cnraosoe, B r. ; a c a u lis , collo crassissimo, foUls p lu rim is confertis
s tellatim p a ten tib u s crassis carnosis sp a th u la tis lan ceo la tisv e o b tu sis m c iso -d eu ta tis seu ru n c i-
n a tls g lab errim is a u t ra riu s pilosis b asi n u d is , scapis p lu rim is foliis æ q u ilo n g is, floribus cap ita tis,
c ap itu lis compressis 1 -4 -flo ris, b ra c te is foliolisque calycinis a c u tis , cap su la calyce Inclusa ro tu n d a ta
4 - 8-sp e rm a . (T a b . X L I I I . )— P . ca rnosa, B r . P ro d r . p . 425 (non L a m ) . P . tria n th a , Spreng. S y s l.
Veg. vol. i. p . 439.
Var. (3. foliis glaberrimis majoribus.
Var. y. pumila, foliis plus minusve hispido-pilosis.
H a b . L o rd A u ck lan d ’s g ro u p ; on ro ck s n e a r th e sea, g en e ra lly im med iately above h ig h -w a te r
m a rk , all th e s ta te s ; ab u n d a n t.
Planta maritima, depressa. succulenta, rupibus tenaciter aflixa. F a f c perennis, breviter fusiformis, copiosissime
fibrosa ; fibris ateirimls, plerisque tenuibus, fastigiatis, aliis validis, crassis, subsucculentis. Collum crassissimum,
breve, nigrum, simplex v. rarius biceps, nudum, fibrosum, non raro surculos emittens. Folia petiolata,
i - 3 unc. longi, horizontaliter stellatim patentia, conferta, numerosissima, singula planta 40-60, succulenta,
lanceolata, spathulata, v. lineari-spathulata, obtusa. basi attenuata, margine varie secta, sinuato-dentata, incisodentata
v. sæpius runcinata, rarius utrinque uni-bidentata v. omnino Integra ; supra luride virescentia, opaca,
medio sulcata, avenia ; subtus pallidiora, costa medio prominula, nervisque 2 per totam longitudinem percursa ;
glaberrima v. in var. (3. pilis patentibus v. appressis, sparsis, rigidis, albis subhispida ; intima breviora, dense compacta,
rosulata, obovata, margine sinuata. Scapi valde numerosi, 15-20, horizontaliter patentes, apicibus ascendentibus,
ex axillis foliorum orti, longitudine foliorum v. iis breviores, interdum brevissimi, glabri v. plerumque
pilosi, pilis patentibus ut in foliis. Spica ad capitulam late ovatam, superne truncatam redacta, valde compressa,
J- unc. lata, lafior quam longa, pauci-2-4-flora. Bracleæ majusculæ, ovatæ, cymbiformes, subacutæ v.
acuminatæ, carnosæ, marginibus membranaceis, basin calycis fere cingentes. Calyx tetraphyllus, foliolis late
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