ií ■
; f
H ab. Ab u n d an t th ro u g h o u t th e Islands, Ba n k s a n d Solander, etc.
J e i y nearly alUed to R . fimhrlatm, Br.. of Port Jackson. I think the R. cuneifolius. Camp., of Lord Auckland
s Group (Fl. Antarct. p. 67), is probably a young state of the same, with blunter leaves.
N a t . O r d . LXX. AMARANTHACE^, J uss.
Gen. I . A L T E R N A N TH E EA , F o n h .
Pen a n tM um 5-partitiim. Stamina 5, omnia v. 3 fertilia. in cyathulum ovario brevius co a lita; au-
tberse 1-loculares. S ty lu s brevissimus; stigmate capitato. Utriculus obreniformis. compressus. semine
amplior.
A laige genus of often weedy herbs, found chiefly in the Tropical regions ; one species. A. sesdlis, Br., is very
widely diffused in the Old World, and fonnd in New Zealand, New Holland, and Tasmama. Stems glabrous or with
two lines of hairs, prostrate, branched, 3 -4 inches long. leaves opposite, linear-obovate or oblong, blunt, quite
entire, fleshy, 4 -1 inch long, pubescent at the arils. Flowers white, minute, in globose sessüe arillary heads.
Perianth five-parted; segments acuminate, glabrous. Stamens five, two of them with empty anthers ; filaments
united into a cup. Utriculus compressed, broadly obovate. with oue compressed seed. (Name from alien a and
anlhera, in allusion to every other filament only bearing an anther.)
1. Alte rnanthera Br. ; glabra v. ramis bifariam pilosis, folüs breve petiolatis lineari-oblongis
lanceolatisve obtnsis mtegerrimis carnosuHs, capitulis parvis sessilibus folio multoties longioribus, perianthio
albido bracteis duplo longiore, utriculo obcordate. B r . Prodr. Woq.-Tand. in BC . Prodr. Wight, Icon,
t. 627. A. denticulata, A . Cunn. Prodr. v ix B r . Prodr.
H ab. N o rth e rn Is la n d ; in boggy places, n o t unfrequent, Colenso, etc.
Raoul.
N a t. name, " Mahurie,”
N a t . O r d . LXXI. CHENOPODIACErE, Juss.
Gen. I . CH EN O B O D IUM , L .
Perianthium 3 -5 -p a rtitum . Stamina 2 - 5 . S ty lu s 2-4 -fid u s. Utriculus membranaceus, depressus,
perianthio haud mutato teotus. Testa seminis C ru s ta c e a ; embryone annulari.
Erect or prostrate, green or reddish, often succulent herbs; common by tbe sea and in waste cultivated places ;
with erect or prostrate stems, and very smaü clustered insignificant green flowers. Perianth five-parted (rarely
th re e -o r four-). Samras two to five. % f e bifid to quadrifid. Kricafes membranous, depressed. to Z solitary, with
a crustaceous shining coat. Prnhryo annular, curved round a mealy albumen, not spiral.—The genus is found all
over the world, as are some of the individual species, and is very variable in habit and foliage, (Name from xav, a
goose, and wmr, a fo o l; in aUusion to the form of the leaf in the species called “ Goose-foot.” )
§ a. Seed horizontal, rarely (in C. glaucum sometimes) vertical.
1. Chenopodium triandrum, F o r s t .; herbaceum, canle basi suflruticuloso ramoso, foliis parvis gracile
petiolatis late rhombeo-triangularibus ovatis orbiculatis v. rarius oblongis subhastatisve obtusis integerrimis
basi smu lato subcordatis glauco-cinereis glaberrimisve viridibus, racemis spicatis laxis aphyllis, calyce fru ctífero
late aperto, stamimbus 2 - 4 , stylo 2 -3-fido, semine punctato utriculo adhierente. Porst. Prodr. A.
Rich. Flor. Moq.-Tand. I. c.
H ab. N o rth e rn and Middle Islands. Common as far south as Otago, Forster, etc.
A small species, 6 inches to a foot high, bright green, or glaucous and pulverulent, much branched. Leaves
small, broad, sub-hastate, with blunt lobes and a shallow sinus at the base, 4 -4 inch long. Flowers powdery, in
small loose spikes, axillary and terminal. Siamens two to four. Styles bifid or trifid.
2. Chenopodium urhicum, L . ; caule herbáceo ascendente sulcato angulato ramoso, fohis petiolatis
ovato-rhombeis incqualiter duplicato-creiiatis dentatisve u trin q u e viridibus spicis aphyllis subcymosis d ivaricatim
ramosis, semine horizontaU p u n c ta to margine obtuso. L in n . Sp. P I. Eng. B o t. t. 19 1 9 , Moq.-
Tand. I. c.
H ab. N o rth e rn and Middle Islands. E a st coast, Colenso. New Eiver, E b . A. Richard. (A native
of En g lan d .)
A large branching species, 2 -3 feet high. Leaves petiolate, broadly triangular, 1 -1 4 inch long; margin
d e e p l y a n d i r r e g u l a r l y cut into teeth or lobules. Flowers densely spiked, P e rra i/i five-cleft; segments blunt. Seed
mnch depressed, punctate, with blunt edges.—A common plant of the North Temperate zone, following cultivation
everywhere, and possibly introduced into New Zealand.
3. Chenopodium glaucum, L . ; prostratum, subcarnosum, foliis petiolatis oblongo-ovatis deltoideisve
flaccidis sinuatis inferne glaucis farinosis, spicis erectis farinosis foliosis v. subaphyllis, semine vertioali v.
horizontaU punotulato. L in n . Sp. P I. A . Cmm. Prodr. Moq.-Tand. I. c. E n g l. B o t. t. 1454.
H ab. On th e shores of all th e I s la n d s ; n o t uncommon, Banlcs a n d Solander, etc. (A native of
England.)
Stmis numerous, branched, a span long, rather succulent, prostrate. Leaves 4 -1 inch long, petioled, deltoid
or oblong ovate, sinuate, toothed, white and mealy below. Spikes short. Perianth three- to five-parted. Seed
erect or horizontal, punctate.—Abundant in various parts of the North Temperate zone, also found in South ChUi.
4 . Cheiiopodium ambrosioides, L . ; herbaceum, erectum, ramosum, pubescens v. glabratum, glandu-
losum, aromaticum, foliis in petiolum angustatis ovatis lanceolatisve basi cuneatis sinuato-lobatis u trinque
viridibus supra glaberrimis su b tu s glanduloso-punctatis venosis, racemis foliosis subspicatis, perianthio
fructífero clauso, semine horizontali. L in n . Sp. P I. Moq.-Tand. I. c.
H ab. N o rth e rn Islau d . Cultivated ground, Colenso, etc.
Very similar to C. carinatum, but foliage larger. Flcwers fewer together, mnch larger, in leafy racemes or
spikes. Perianth closed over the seed, which is horizontal. Stamens usually five.— A veiy common plant throughout
the Tropics; probably introduced into New Zealand. The seeds are said to be sometimes vertical, but I do not
find them so iu New Zealand specimens.
§ b . A m b r i n a . Seed vertical. (For C. g l a u c u m see § a .)
5. Chenopodium carinatum, Br.? to tum glanduloso-puborulum, caule ramoso, ramis suberectis v. diffusis
elongatis, fohis petiolatis ovatis lineari-ovatisve basi cuneatis obtusis obtuse sinuato-lobatis supra glabris
subtus glaucis jmlvcrulentis, floribus minimis dense glomerulatis monandris, perianthio ft'uctifero exsucco
noil clause, semine verticaü margine obtuse carinato. B r . Prodr. ? Blitum, Moq.-Tand. I. c. C. botrys,
A. Cunn. Prodr.
H ab. No rtliern Island. Bay of Islands, Cunningham, etc. Auckland, Sinclair.
Very similar in habit and appearance to C. botrys, but the flowers are in little heads, not spikes or racemes,
and tho seed is always vertical. Whole plaut pubcndous and glandular, smelling strongly. Stems
branched, 1 -2 feet long. Leaves small, 4 -1 inch long, petioled, blunt, deeply sinuate, lobed. Flowers very
minute, in axillary leafy clusters. Stamen one.—Mr. Brown’s description of 0. carinatum agrees, on the whole, so
well with this, that, considering how Protean its congeners are, I think it better to retain that name than to make
3 G