lììi
“ Genus inter ASPHODELEAS et JUN C EA S .”—Drow/i.
A S T E L IA j B a n k s et Soland.
Flores polygamo-dioici. H erm. M asc. Perianthium semiglumaceura, sexfidum v. profunde sexpartitum ;
laciniis oblongis lineari-oblongisve, sub apice incrassatis, 3 exterioribus paulo majoribus, dorso sericeis. Stamina
6, laciniis perianthii inserta ; filamentis brevibus v. elongatis ; anthei'is brevibus, dìdymis, introrsis ; pollen
ovoideum v. angulatum. granulatum v. minutissime echinulatum, latere unico excavatum. Ovarium abortivum.
F l . H erm. F oem. Perianthium u t in masculo, persistens. Stamina imperfecta. Ovarium oblongum v.
globosum, obtuse trigonum v. trilobum, uni- tri- sexloculare. Ovula plurima, biserialia, ascendentia, anatropa.
Placentæ in ovariis unilocularibus 3-seriales, parietales, v. summo loculi affixæ ; in iis trilocularibus ángulo interiore
superne suspensæ. 8ty/w« brevissimus, crassus, teres, sæpius subnullus. sessile, trilobum. Bacca
turgida, globosa V. elongata, perianthio emarcido v. rarius baccato suffulta v. inclusa et stigmate plerumque coronata,
interdum submembranacea uni- trilocularis, rarius 5-6-locularis, loculis 2-polyspermÌ3. Semina ovoidea
V, angulata, ad rapbin incrassata v. subcarinata, in bacca uniloculari plurima, interdum pulpa immersa, borizon-
talia, biserialia, rarius péndula ; in bacca pluriloculari ex apice loculi péndula ; funiculis brevibus ; umbilico nudo.
Membrana seminis externa crustácea, interdum ossea, aterrima, nitida. Nucleus pendulus ; membrana interior
tenuis, chalaza lata orbiculari ope rapbis cum umbilico junctus. Albumen dense carnosum. Embryo parvus in
basi albumiuis inclusus, extremitate radiculari incrassata bilo próxima.—Herbæ insularum Oceani Pacifici et
Antarctici, Novoe Zelandiæ Tasmaniæque incolæ, nullibi copiosæ, cæspitosoe, plus minusve sericeo-paleaceæ. Caules
breviusculi, foliosi. Folia elongata,plerumque carinata, trinervia. Flores racemosi, paniculati v. scapis abbreviatis
bini, basi bracteolati.
1. A s t e l i a linearis. H o o k , fil.; foliis p a tu lis lin eari-e lo n g atis acutis canaliculatis ap p resse
argen teo -p aleace is sericeis v. g lab riu scu lis su b tu s ca rin atis, scapo p erb rev i 1-2-flore, flore inferiore
b asi b ra c te a to , b acca lin eari-o b lo n g a ca rn o sa ob tu se trig o n a 1-loculai-i, semin ib u s p lu rim is pla centis
p a rie ta lib u s affixis.
Var. /3. subulata ; pumila, foliis lineari-subulatis.
H a b . L o rd A u ck lan d ’s g ro u p an d Cam p b ell’s I s la n d ; on th e b a re g ro u n d , n o t u n common,
especially on th e hills in open places.
Species pusilla, polymorpba, dense cæspitosa, habitu A. alpînæ et pumilæ sed foliis multoties angustioribus,
magnitudine varians. Radix lignosa, fusiformis, descendens, parce fibrosa, fibris patentibus, flexuosis, elongatis,
2-3 unc. longis, 1 lin. diametr. Caules breviusculi, |- 3 unc. longi, densissime compacti, pluries divisi,
vaginis fuscis foliorum obtecti, una cum foliis unc. diametri, basi reliquiis fibrosis et squamosis foliorum
vetustorum obsiti. Folia omnia radicalia, inferiora interdum recurva, undique patentia, (an obscure trifa-
riam imbricata ?) basi late vaginantia, 2-4 une. longa (in var. /3. uncialia), lineari-elongata v. rarius anguste
lanceolata, 2-3 lin. lata, gradatim acuminata, crassa et coriacea, supra profunde sulcata v. canaliculata, ad
margines plerumque recurva, subtus medio carinata, utrinque plus minusve paleis squamisve argentéis v. rufo-
fuscis obtecta v. subsericea, interdum sed rarius glaberrima, luride viridia, ad apices fascículo squamarum peni-
cillata ; vaginoe latiusculæ, scarioso-membranaceæ, squamosæ ; squamis byalinis, appressis, elongatis, fimbriato-
laceris, deciduis. Scapus solitarius, perbrevis, \ unc. longus, inter vaginas foliorum occlusus, argenteo-squa-
mosus, apice bifidus, biflorus. Flores approximati, erecti ; inferior subsessilis, basi bracteatus ; superior pedi-
cellatus. Bractea lineari-elongata, obtusa, utrinque furfuraceo-squamosa. F l . Masc. mihi ignoti. F oem.
Perianthium sexpartitum ; laciniæ lineares, obtusæ, exteriores majores, extus sericeæ, versus apices incrassatæ,
subcucuUatæ, dorso penicillatæ, interiores angustiores, apicibus subincrassatis. Stamina imo perianthii inserta.
parva, imperfecta. Ovarium ovato-oblongum, obtuse trigonum. stigmate trilobo sessili terminatum, uniloculare.
Placenta parietales, triseriales, nerviformes, Ovula plurima, biserialia, semi-anatropa, ascendentia. Bacca
carnosa, oblongo-elongata, J unc. longa, prismatica, angulis obtusis. pallide rufa, perianthio duplo longior.
Semina plurima, horizontalia, obovata, obtusa, latere unico compressa, subcarinata ; funiculus crassiusculus, sub-
elongatus, filamentosus ; membrana exterior Crustacea, subossea, aterrima, nitida; nucleus pendulus solutus,
chalaza orbiculari apiceque fusca; membrana interior tenuis, pallide fusca. Albumen carnosum. Embryo
parvus, ovatus, basi albumiuis inclusus ; radicula lulo próxima.
Since the first appearance of the ‘ Prodromus Floræ Nov. Holl.,’ in which Mr. Brown published the genus
Astelia from the manuscripts of Banks and Solander, nothing seems to have been done by the many authors who
have transcribed his characters and remarks towards determining its affinities. Mr, Brown himself views
it as intermediate between Asphodelea and Júncea, and retains it at the end of the former order ; from this it
has been removed with one consent hy all future classifiers, some placing it after Júncea and others with Me-
lantliacea. Mr. Forster’s name of Melanthium pumilum, given to the Fuegian species, shows th a t he considered
it as being most nearly allied to the latter.named order; but I am not aware th a t any other author has stated
his reasons for following Forster’s views of its affinity, except perhaps Thunberg, whose dissertation de Melan-
thaceis I have never seen.
In 1819 Sir J . E. Smith (Appendix to Rees's Cyolopædia) added a new species to the genus, ÜísA.Men-
ziesiana of the Sandwich Islands ; the form of the seeds is mentioned, but no particulars of their structure.
This species was redescribed hy Gaudichaud (Voy. Freyc. Bot. p. 420), who does not seem to have been
aware of Sir James Smith’s paper, and he named it A. veratroides, placing it in Melanthacea without any
remark ; the fruit seems unknown to Gaudichaud, b u t was described as tbree-celled by Smith and again by
Hooker and Arnott (Bot. Beechey Voy. p. 97), who also retain it in the same order.
A. Richard published his ’ Flora Novæ Zelandiæ’ in 1830, wherein no notice is taken of the genus
Astelia, but a species of it is figured and described as Hamelinia (nov. gen.) veratroides : tbe male flowers and
ripe f r lit appear to have been both unknown to that author, the ovary is described as trilocular, and the genus
arranged in Colchicaceoe {Melanthaceoe).
In 1836 Mr. Cunningham described (in his Prodr. Flor. Nov. Zel.) two species of Astelia, under one of
which {A. Banksii), Richard’s Hamelinia is quoted as a synonym ; it is placed in Junci. Shortly afterwards
Endlicher (in his ’ Genera Plantarum ’) removed it to the end of Júncea. Lastly, Kunth takes up the genus
Astelia (Enum. Plant, vol. iii. p. 364) and follows Endlicher’s views of its affinity. Though however his work
was published as late as 1841, all notice of Cunningham’s species are omitted, and the A. Banksii receives the
third name of A. Richardi.
I have had the opportunity of examining the ripe fruit of six species of the genus, and find the seeds of all
to agree in structure and to partake of the peculiarities both of Liliácea and Júncea ; with Melanthacea they have
fewer characters in common.
Except in the more fleshy substance of the capsule In most of the species and its not bursting by valves,
to which however there is a manifest tendency in the zl. pumila, there is no material difference in th a t organ
between Astelia and Juncus. The ovari« are the same in both, being one or more ceUed ; when one-eelled
generally bearing the anatropous ovules in two series on three lines of parietal placentæ, and when tliree-celled
they are pendent from the Inner angles of the cells. The internal structure of the seeds of the two genera is
identical • the outer coat alone, from becoming thick and even in Astelia, agrees only with Rcstkovm amongst
Júncea but in being crustaceous and black differs from all. The nucleus, raphe, chalaza, inner coat of the seed
immediately surrounding the albumen, the albumen itself, and form and position of the embryo, are precisely
alike in lioth. Together with these remarkable accordances in structure there are many points of discrepancy,
Ispecially in habit, as also in the chaffy covering of the leaves and other parts, the uniformly dicecious or poly