p t / ìT * '’
M il
; 1 t LI
lanceolatis lateraUbus oblongis omnibus acutis acuminatisve grosse serratis, glandulis hypogynis erectis
linearibus obtusis, seminibus laxe pilosis. B a n k s et Sol. M S S . et Ic. A . Cunn. Proclr.
Var. a ; foliis te rn a tis imparipinnatisve, foliolis coriaceis glabris, pedunculis petiolis ramulisque
pubescentibus. W . sylvicola, A. Cunn. Proclr.
T a r. ^ .fu c Jm o id e s ; foliis simplicibus te rnatisve majoribus, ovario capsulaque pilosis. W . fuchsioides,
A. Curm. Prodr.
Var. 7 . hetulina; foliis te ru a tis imparipinnatisque minoribus, foliolis valde coriaceis obovatis basi
angustatis. W . betulina, A . Cunn. Prodr.
H a b . Common in woods, thro n g lio u t tb e th re e Islands, Ba n k s and Solander, etc. F l. ilu g u s t to
November.' (Cultivated in En g lan d .)
A small tree, 20-30 feet high, witb blackisb bark. Braneles, petioles, costa of leaf below, and peduncles
pubescent. Leaves opposite, simple, ternate, or imparipinnate. often on the same specimen. Leaflets very variable
iu size. 1-2 inches long, obovate-oblong or obovate-lanceokte, acute or acuminate, coarsely serrate, coriaceous;
when pinnate tbe lateral leaflets are oblique. Stipules deciduous, large in young plants, leafy, obovate, blunt, placed
between the petioles. Raemm as long as the leaves, erect; pedicels 2 -3 hnes long. Flowers numerous, white,
variable in size. 2 lines broad. Capsules 2 -3 lines long. Seeds few, veiy minute, witb a tuft of woolly hairs at each
end.—An exceedingly variable plant, of which Cunningham has made three species; these, however, present no
constant characters.
2. Weinmannia racemosa, F o r s t .; ramulis glabris, foliis simplicibus ternatisve coriaceis ovato- v. elliptico
oblongis acutis grosse sinuato-serratis, costa glaberrima, racemis glabris, capsulis glaberrimis. Forst.
Prodr. DC. Prodr. v. 4. p . 9. W . spatiosa, B a n k s et Sol. M S S . et Ic. Leiospermum, Don. A. Cunn.
Prodr. A n prioris forma ?
H a b . Ab u n d an t th ro u g h o u t th e Islands, B ank s and Solander, Forster, etc. N a t. names, “ Tawai,”
Ounn.; "T aw h e ro ,” Sou th ern Islan d , l y a l l .
I am quite unable to distinguish this generically from W. sylvicola, as I find the ripe seeds (on the supposed
smoothness of which Don founded the genus Leiospermum) to be invariably hairy, precisely as in ¡Yeinmanma, though
in both immature (abortive?) smooth seeds may be found. The present has larger, broader, more coriaceous leaves,
smooth peduneles, petioles, and costa of the leaf, often larger flowers, longer pedicels and styles, and larger narrower
capsules ; but none of these are constant characters; they do not accompany one another on the same specimens; and,
in short, this species appears to run into the former in evei-y possible way. The leaves are sometimes H inches
long and rounded, and the racemes 5 inches.
N a t . O r d . XXXVI. SAXIERAGBAE. Juss.
Gen. I . D O N A T IA , Forst.
Calycis tu b u s tu rb in a tu s, ovario a d n a tu s ; limbi lobis 3 - 7 , regulariter v. irregulariter insertis. Petala
5 -1 0 , calyce inserta. S tamina 2 - 8 , basi cum styUs coaUta v. libera, disco epigyno im p o sita ; antheris ex-
trorsis. Ovarium conicum, 2 -3 -lo c u la re ; ovulis paucis, e summo anguli in terio n s loculi suspensis, ascendentibus
; stylis 2 - 3 , liberis v. basi coalitis. Capsula coriaceo-carnosa, 2 -S -lo cu lan s, polysperma.
The New Zealand Domtm is one of the most interesting recent discoveries iu those Islands, for the genus, of
which only one species was previously known, was supposed to be confined to Antarctic Amenca. Both
species are smaU, moss-Hke. densely tufted, alpine plants, forming hard masses on the ground, of a bright green
colour, and often eontrihuting to the formation of peat. Leaves fleshy, linear, alternate, densely crowded; the
solitary terminal white flowers appear on a level with them. Calyx tube obconical ; limb in the New Zealand
species of five equal régulai* lobes ; in the American, of three to seven irregularly placed lobes, of unequal length.
Petals five, regular in the New Zealand plant ; more numerous, irregular, and passing into the calyx-lobes in the
American. Disc broad, flat. Stamens few, placed neai-tUe centre; the filaments free or cohering round the styles, of
which there are two to three. Ovai-y obconic, two- to three-celled, with many ovules suspended from a projecting placenta
at the upper inner angle of each cell. Capsule coriaceous, indehiscent ?—The New Zealand plant appears to
have all the flowers fertile, and they are regular in the number and disposition of their parts ; the Americau plant,
again, is apparently unisexual, and has the calyx lobes aud petals very irregularly placed. (Named in honour of
Antonio Donati, a Veuetiau botanist and physician.)
1. Donatia Novæ-Zelandiæ, Hook, fil.; foliis linearibus subacutis carnosis glaberrimis basi sericeis,
calycis lobis petalisque 5 regularibus, staminibus 2, stylis 2 brevibus basi connatis, ovario 2-loculari.
T a b . X Y I I I .
H a b . Mountains of th e Southern Islan d , D r. L y a ll.
Stems very short, an inch or two high, branched, densely leafy, sending down here and there veiy stout simple
roots ; including the leaves, as thick as the little finger. Leaves bright green, the lower red-brovm, closely imbricated
in many series, erect, appressed, \ inch long, linear, thick and coriaceous, blunt, nerveless. Flowers sessile, sunk
among the leaves iu the ends of the branches, solitary. Calyx i line long ; lobes ovate, acute. Petals white,
thick, and fleshy, 1 line long, ovate-oblong, blunt. Filaments short. Anthers extrorse. Styles shorter than the
stamens, with capitate stigmas.—P l a t e X VIII. Pig. 1, 2, leaves ; 3, 4, flowers ; 5, vertical, and 6, longitudinal
section of ovary :— all magnified.
N a t . O e d . X X X V I I . B R E X IA C E Æ , L in d l .
Gen. I . IX E E B A , A.
Sepala 5, p aten tia, imbricata. Pe ta la 5, sub disco liypogyno obscure 5-lobo inserta, imbricata.
S tamina 5, disci lobis alterna. Ovarium superum, disco cinctum, conicum, in stylum stric tum rectum
a cu tum sulcatum atten u a tum , 5-loculare; ovulis geminis, collateralibns, funiculo brevi lato loculi ángulo
in te rio ri affixis, asceudentibus, anatropis. Capsula coriaceo-carnosa, libera, depresso-globosa, 5-loba,
5-locularis, stylo 10-sulcato to rto te rmina ta, loculicide 5-valvis; valvis basi confluentibus, apice bifidis.
Semina loculis solitaria, reniformi-oblonga, hilo lato a d n a ta ; tesla coriaceo-crustacea, n itid a ; albumen
U; embryo membrana p ropria inclusus, o b o v a tu s; cotyledonibus magnis, plano-convexis; radicula parva,
supera.
This beautiful plant, the only one of its genus, forms a small evergreen branching tree, with exstipulate, petiolate,
alternate, opposite or ternate, coriaceous, linear-lanceolate, sinuato-serrate leaves, aud terminal panicles of a few
large white fiowers. Calyx of five imbricated silky sepals. Corolla of as many long, spreading, white, coriaceous
petals. Stamens 5 ; filaments long, erect, inserted under the edge of a 5-lobed spreading disc, which occupies the
centre of the flower, and is continuous with the conical ovarium ; anthers subsagittate or oblong, acute. Ovary
five-celled, terminating iu a stout, erect, twisted, sharp, ten-furrowed style; ovules two, side by side in each cell.
Capsule free, coriaceous, five-celled, opening at the top by five valves, each terminated with two awns, w'hich are
portions of the style, which latter splits from below upwards into ten pieces ; cells smooth and shining inside.
Seeds one in each cell, projecting from the open valves, when still attached by their broad short funiculi. Testa
polished, clouded grey and black.—The nearest allies of this are a New Caledonian genus, Argophyllum, Forst.,
and Brexia, a Madagascar plant. To the latter its affinity is so very close, that Cunningham anagrammed Brexia
into Ixerba. I t differs from that plant iu having few ovules, and in wanting a fringed disc.
u