li I 36
not unusual) that no further obliqiuty or gibbosity of the gennen should ensue. The column becoming so evident at
a later period is also natural, it being well supplied with vascular tissue for the nourishment of the large seed.—
Myzodendron presents a modification of this structure: the column there bears three ovules, twm of which are
absorbed, but at a later period than in Pennantia; and the column afterwards becomes a flat cord lying against the
wall of the cavity of the seed-vessel, with one pendulous seed, and the two undeveloped ovules appearing as swellings
near the point of suspension. In the absence, then, of specimens enabling me to trace the development of the ovarium
and fruit of Pennantia, I propose, as the probable explanation of its anomalous structure, tb a t the ovarium is nomally
three-celled, the cells being confluent above; that a short erect central column is placed at the confluence of the cells;
and th a t three ovules hang from it, one into each cell. At a very early period two of the cells and their corresponding
ovules are absorbed, the germeu becomes gibbous, the inner wall of the remaining cell gi-aduaUy hardens, and
the vessels of the column thicken at the same time, with the growth of the seed they nourish. The result is a hard
nut, with a flat cord running up one face, passing through an orifice at the upper extremity of the latter. The deep
sulcus iu the front of the ovule, fig. 7 and 8, is probably due to contraction during diying.—P late XII. A, female,
and B, male branch:—natural size. Fig. 1, male flower; 3, poRen; 3, female flower; 4, ovary; 5, 6, vertical
sections of the same, showing the undeveloped ovules at a ; 7, ovule; 8, transverse section of the same; 9 ,1 0 , 11,
ripe fru it; 12, transverse, and 18, longitudinal section of berry; 14, nut and its column (a); 15, front view of
the same; 16, embryo :—all but fig. 9 magnified.
A
[IM
il
N a t . O r d . XIV. HYPERICINEÆ, DC.
Gen. I. HYPERICUM, L.
! 5, imbricata. Pe ta la 5, contorta. Stamina 00, in phalanges collecta v. libera, filamentis
filiformibus. Ovarmm l-S -\o c \ú a v e ; stigmatibus 3. Capsula membranácea, 1-locularis, 3-valvis, valva-
rum ma rginibus inflexis; seminibus marginalibus plurimis.
Erect or procumbent herbs and small shrubs, with the leaves, and sometimes petals and sepals, covered with
glandular dots. Being the only New Zealand genus of the Order, it may be recognized by the characters of that
Order itself, which are very strongly marked. The species have a very wide ran g e : both of them are natives of
either hemisphere, and of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; but being exceedingly variable, their precise distribution
is not well ascertained. (Name, the vTnjpiKov of Dioscorides.)
1 . H y ^ e tic um gramineum, lY r s t .; caule simplici v. e basi diviso et superne dichotomo erecto v. snb-
erecto tetrág o n o , foliis oblongis obtusis sessilibus subcordatis p unctatis marginibus plerumque revolutis,
sepalis oblongis obtusis v. ovatis acuminatis punctatis integerrimis, petalis calyce longioribus, staminibus
fere liberis, capsula cónica. Forst. Prodr. Lab. Austro-Caled. p . 5 3 . t. 53. H . involutum, Lab. e t Auct.
H . aureum, Ba n k s et Sol. M S S . et Ic. H . Japonicum, Au c t, in p a r t. Brathys BiUardieri, Spach.
H ab. N o rth e rn and Middle Is lan d s ; n o t uncommon. E a s t coast, B a n k s and Solander, Colenso.
Akaroa, Raoul.
An erect herb, a span or so long. Stems slender, with four rather membranous angles, simple or dichoto-
mously branched, very much so in the New Caledonian specimens figured by Labillardiere, and in some Tasmanian
ones; but not a t all so in Forster’s original specimens, and sparingly so in my New Zealand ones. Leaves inch
long, subereet, oblong, sessile, blunt, base cordate, covered with black dots, flat or with the margin revolute. Flowers
on short or long peduncles, p-A inch across, variable in size, as are the golden-yellow petals, which often curl inwards
as they wither. Sepals oblong, blunt or sharp. Stamens numerous, hardly united at the base into bundles.
Capsule conical, three-valved, with three styles, membranous.—This very variable plant is common in Australia and
Tasmania; it closely resembles H . linearifolium, DC., of Europe ( //. linariifolium, Vahl), and is probably the
H. pedicellare, Endl., of Swan River, and H. Lalandii, Choisy, of the Cape of Good Hope. From Mexico and Peru
i I
there is a very similar plant in Hooker’s .Herbarium. Though so different in appearance from the following, it is
not easy to distinguish small states of the one from large of the o th e r; and judging from the extremely variable
chai’acter of II. Japonicum in India, I am strongly inclined to consider these two New Zealand plants as states of
one vei’y common species.
2. Hypericum Japonicum, T h u n b .; caule humifuso v. basi p ro s tra te ascendente ramoso v. simplici
tetragono, foliis sessilibus la te oblongis obovatisve obtusis p u n ctatis planis marginibusve revolutis, sepalis
oblongis obovatisve obtusis acutisve p u n ctatis integerrimis, petalis calyce vix longioribus, staminibus
liberis, capsula globosa v. oblonga a cu ta calyce vix longiore.
Var. lium ifu sum ; caulibus bumifusis basi ramosissimis superne simpbcibus v. divisis. H . pusillum,
Choisy in DC. Prodr. v. p . 5 4 9 . A . Cunn. Prodr. Ascyrum bumifusum, Lab. F l. Nov. Holl. v. 2.
p . 3 3 . t. 175.
H ab. N o rth e rn I s la n d ; n o t uncommon. Bay of Islan d s, A . Cunningham, Colenso, etc. Auckland,
Sinclair. Var. /3, in moist places.
The ordinary state of this plaut, and the var. /3 especially, may be known by its more procumbent slender
habit, brandling stem, broader flatter leaves and sepals, and shorter, more rounded capsules. Sometimes, in var. /3,
the leaves and flowers are vei’y small, 1 -2 lines long, and the plant wholly procumbent; at others it ascends, becomes
larger, the leaves narrower, and capsules longer, passing into E . gramineum. These are points to which the
attention of the resident must be drawn, who should not be deceived by appearances due to the place of growth,
but collect copiously, aud cultivate the varieties under different circumstances of exposm-e, humidity, etc. The
extreme states of these plants {II. gramineum and Japonicum) are very different, and intermediate ones are not
so usual ill New Zealand as in India, where they are all very common. Tliis is also a Mauritius and Madagascar
plant. Wight and Arnott (Prodr. Fl. Penins. Ind. Or.) have indicated the close affinity between H. Japonicum
and tbe European H. liumifusum. There is a perfectly similar plant in Herb. Hook, from San Francisco, in
Cabfornia, and from Fort Vancouver (North-west America), labelled E . anagalloides, Cham, et Schlecht.; and
another from Valdivia, in South Chili, called E . Chilense, Gay, Flor. Chil. (badly described). I am far from insisting
on these all belonging to one species, wbich can only be determined by laborious investigatiou; but I think it
probable, the more especially as many of these are described without reference to any general herbarium, and
often from very imperfect specimens.
N a t . O r d . XV. SAPINDACEÆ, Juss.
Gen. I . A L E C T E TO N , Ga rin .
Calyx 4 -5 -lo b u s v. p a rtitu s . Pe ta la 0. S tamin a 5 - 8 , hypogyna, æqualia, ere c ta ; antheris filamentis
æquilongis, S-locularibus. Ovarium 1, uniloculare (3-loculare, Cunn.), compressum, uni-bi-oviüatum, dorso
productum ; stylo brevi, laterali, curvato ; stigmate simplici, acuto (S-fido, Cunn.). Capsula (bacca, A . Onnn.)
Crustacea, pubescens, oblique obovata, tu rg id a, dorso in gibbum producta, 1-locularis, 1 -sperma; semine
arillato ; te sta nitida, Crustacea ; cotyledonibus crassis.
The only New Zealand species forms a lofty tree, branching above. Young branches, leaves below, and
especially the inflorescence, covered with a velvety rusty-coloured down. Leaves pinnate, 4 -1 0 inches long ; leaflets
alternate, petiolate, 2 -3 inches long, obliquely ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, obscurely crenate, the young ones deeply
moiso-serrate. Flowers small, in terminal panicles, 6-8 inches long, much branched ; branches stout, spreading.
Calyx hairy, of four to flve small lobes. Petals 0. Stamens usually eight, with large deep-red anthers and short
filaments. Ovary solitary, hairy, sunk amongst the copious hairs at the base of tbe calyx, compressed, with a short,
flat, erect projection at the back, Capsule i inch long, tm-g-id, hard and dry, pubescent, obliquely obovate and gib