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flowers; those of the foliage are very variable, and the allied Bmcoenas vary extremely in habit, according to the
situation they grow in.
3. CordyUne indivisa, K u n tli; tru n co arboreo indiviso, foliis la te lanceolatis valde crassis e t coriaceis,
panícula u n tan te densiflora ramis crassis, floribus densissime congestis.— Zkkií/í,
Dracæna indivisa, Forst. etc.
H ab. N o rth e rn and Middle Islands. Dusky Bay, Forster. F o o t of Eu ah in e mountains,
Thomson’s Sound, LyaU. N a t. name, “ Tikapu,” Col.
Trunk 10 feet high according to Colenso (30 in the Middle Island), nearly a foot in diameter, undivided,
^ a /v e r y thick and coriaceous. 4 -5 feet long, 5 inches broad, often glaucous below. Panicle 4 feet long, stout,
drooping. Branches 8-1 0 inches long, very stout, densely covered with crowded pedicellate flowers. Permnth
white, beU-shaped; segments oblong. ^ inch long, recurved.—Mr. Colenso says that the flbre of the trunk of this
plant IS extensively used in the manufacture of mats and garments, called “ Toii,” of which he has communicated
one now exhibited iu the Kew Museum of Economic Botany.
Gen. T I . H E E P O L IE IO N , H o o i.J il.
P e n a n th um spathis inclusum, 6-partitum, tubuloso-campanulatum ; laciniis subæqualibus, hnearibus.
S tam m a 6 ; filamentis fihformibus, pub eru h s v. g lab ra tis; antheris basi affixis, demum subtortis. Ovarium
3-loculare, oblongum, locnhs m ultio v u latis; stylo fihformi; stigmate s im p lic i.-H e rbæ Tasmaniæ et Novæ
Ze lan d iæ; rbvLcmaU repente, ra d ica n te; pollicaribus, linearibus, aeuminatis, subglauoescentilus, basi
vaginantibus; floribus i unc. longis, solitariis, brme pedicellatis, spathis erectis.— Gwxîs Stupandræ
prosimuin.
SmaU tufted herbs, alhed to Stgpandra of Anstraha, with wiry, creeping, underground stems, sending down
fibrous roots, and having very short erect scapes, covered with the sheathing bases of linear recurved or spreadin«
glaucons leaves, wbich are 1 iuch long, acuminate, striate, folded down the middle, and appearing terete. Plcwers
yeUow m H. Novoe-Zelmiiia, solitary, almost sessfle amongst the leaves, i - i inch long; bud enclosed in a spatha-
ceous bract. Segments o f the perianth hnear, tips spreading. Stamens At.-, filaments pubescent. Ommj three-
celled. with many ovules and one filifoi-m s ty le .-T h e other species (H. Tasmania) resembles this very closely, bnt
IS larger and has two or three spathes. (Name from ip™ , to creep, and Xipiov. a lily.)
1. Herpolirion Novæ-Zelandiæ, Hook. fil.
H ab. No rth e rn Islan d . Plains n e a r Taupo,
Gen. V I I . A ST E L IA , Banlcs et Sol.
Flores polygamo-dioici. Perianthium subglumaceum, campanulatum v. rotatum, 6-partitum, sericeum
S lardna 6. Ovarium 3-gouum, 1- v. 3-loculare; ovulis plurimis paucisve; stylo brevi v. n u llo ; stigmate
. 3-lobo. iSmzHÆ plurima V. p au c a ; te sta Crustacea, atra^ n itid a ; embryo brevis.
A very remarkable genus, common in New Zealand, of which a few species are found in Oahu, oue in Fuegia,
and another in Tasmania. AU are densely tufted herbs, with a short creeping rhizoma, and very long leaves, more
or less covered with shaggy wool or silvery hairs. The large kinds form a conspicuous feature on the lofty New
Zealand forest-trees. where, growing epiphytically on branches, they resemble gigantic birds’ nests: the smaller
kinds inhabit marshes. The species being dioecious, I have had great difficulty in matching the sexes ; nor could I
have done this but for the drawings and descriptions of Banks and Solander. who alone, of all New Zealand
collectors, seem to have attended to this point : as it is, I would warn the student of laying too much stress on my
characters taken from the male plants. Cunningham confused all the species and sexes, examined none, and
referred at random to Banks and Solander’s drawings and notes, substituting names of his own for theirs le
species with one-celled ovaries and parietal plaeentæ cannot be generically separated from those with three cells and
• axile placentæ; it is indeed sufficiently diffcult to distinguish A. Ounninijhanm specifically from A . Banksu witliou
a careful dissection of the ovary, as in the former the placentæ project considerably, but do not meet in the axis.
Were it not however for the A. Cunninghamii on the one hand, and the Fuegian A . pumûa on the other, the one-
ceUed small speeies (A. linearis and alpina of Tasmania) would be conveniently and naturally separated genencaUy
these being alpine and marsh plants, with very few-flowered panicles, one-celled ovaries and panetal placentæ, and
terete seeds; bnt A . Cunninghamii has the same characters of the finit, with a branched habit and epiphytic mode
of «rowth. whilst the Fuegian ft. pumiU has the habit of ft. linearis and ft. alpina, with a three-ceUed fruit
Phwers silky or chafly, in branched, leafy, or bracteate racemes or panicles. Female Panicles with the branches
shorter, stouter, and rarely divided. Perianth of the male flower campanulate or rotate, deeply six-lobed; of the
female rotate or urceolate. sometimes surronndlng the fruit, Sta-rnens six, rudimentaiy m the female flowers; ffla-
meuts subulate or filiform; anthers Unear or broad. Pollen eUiptical. Berry globose or ovoid, with a short style
and three-lobed stigma, generally fnU of transparent gluten, which exudes from delicate long jointless tubes that
proceed in masses from the placentæ. and often cover the umbiUcal cord also*. (Name from aorckcxov. wanting a
stem or trunk.)
5 a. Perianth o f the female flower not enUrged nor endosing the ripe fru it. Beiry miiheular. Seeds terete.
1, Astelia Cunninghamii, Hook, fil.; foliis elongatis subulatis multinerviis u trin q u e sericeis glabratisve,
panicuUs sericeo-viUosis, masc. effusis, ramis elongatis, p erian th ii g lab rati laciniis subulato-lanceolatis,
antheris la te o b l o n g i s , / « . panicula subcoarctata, ramis brevioribus, ovario globoso l-lo c u la n , placentis
parietalibus, stigmate sessili 3-lobo, bacca globosa periantliio persisten te suffulta, seminibus 6 - 8 placentis
parietab b u s versus apicem loculi pendulis curvis lineari-clavatis te retib u s atris.
H a b . T h ro u g h o u t th e N o rth e rn Islan d , common, usuaUy on b inbs of trees, Cmminghum, etc. « a .
name, " Kowhara-whara,” Col.
This species very eloselv resembles ft. Banksii, with which it is confounded in Cunningham’s herharmm
but from which it differs in ' the larger male flowers, globose one-celled ovary with a short style and panetal
ovules much smaller globular fruit (about i inch diameter), and Hnear, terete, curved seeds. Leaves 3 o feet
long, variable in breath (4- I inch) plaited, silky on both surfaces, or silvery and glabrous, sometimes villous.
PedmieU o f male flowers I - I 4 foot long, angled, flexuose, shaggy with silky wool (tawny when dry), branches scattered
alternate, 8-1 3 inches long, Plowers numerous, one to three together. Perianth rotate, i inch across ;
segments acuminate (red-brown when dry). Peduncle o f female flowers a foot long, branches crowded, 3-S inches
Ion«. Flowers crowded ; perianth Hke that of the males. Ovary globose, with a short style. Ovules from the
upper part of tliree parietal placentæ ; cavity of the ovary full of a gluten formed by a multitude of jointless tubes
or hairs of excessive delicacy that project from the funiculi and placentæ, and breaking up exude a transparent glue
(tbis cbaracter is common to several other species). Seeds linear, terete, narrower towards the funiculus, curved;
testa thick, black, shlniiig ; embryo small, conical ; at germination the embryo pushing forward breaks away the
apex of the’ seed opposite to it. which falls oft’ like a little black lid : in doing this it is aided by the expanding force
ot the swelling albumen.—I have what may be another species, closely aUied to this, with larger panicle and flowers,
the female panicle efl'use and like the male, aud its branches divided, and the half-ripe ovaria larger; but my
specimens arc insuflioieiit to describe it. mid I rather think it only a large specimen of ft. Cunmnghamu, with
possibly monoecious inflorescence ; it was found near the Bay of Islands by Cuunmgham.
* These tubes arc similar to those which proceed from the moistened surface of Garden Cress (and other Cruciferous)
seeds, aud from the aohcuia of some ComposUæ. Similar tubes arc commonly seen m the tvuit of some
epiphytical tribes of Orchideæ (as Pandeié), where they also originate irom the placentæ, but do not become .1
glutinous mass. They possibly aid iu the fertilization of the ovules.