Kirk. — On Neio Plants from Port NicJiolson. 423 



Abt. XLIII. — Descriptions of Neiu Plants from the Vicinity 



of Port Nicholson. 



By T. Kirk, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 24th February, 



1892.] 



Crucifer^. 

 Lepidium obtusatum. 



A glabrous much-branched herb ; stems prostrate, 6in.-12in. 

 long ; leaves elliptic or elliptic-ovate, fleshy ; lower leaves 

 gradually narrowed into long petioles, upper sessile, rounded 

 at the tips, crenate or crenate-serrate or coarsely toothed. 

 Racemes terminating short leafy branches. Flowers tetra- 

 merous, petals small, pedicels slightly exceeding the pods ; 

 pods ovate-cordate, emarginate, slightly winged above ; style 

 never exceeding the notch ; stigma capitate. 



Hab. North Island : Maritime rocks at the entrance to 

 Port Nicholson, Miss Kirk. 



This plant approaches L. oleraccuni, Banks and Sol., in 

 general appearance, but is less robust, and further differs from 

 that species in the long petioles of the radical leaves, and in 

 their crenate margins : the cauline leaves also are broad and 

 always obtusely toothed. The pods are emarginate and 

 winged above, while the style never exceeds the notch. 



In L. oleraccuni the leaves are acutely toothed; the cauline 

 leaves are linear-cuneate, and acutely toothed at the apex 

 only ; the racemes are usually paniculate, while the pods are 

 subacute and quite entire, with projecting styles. 



Note 071 Lepidium oleraceum, Banks and Sol. 



This plant is more variable than is generally supposed. 

 Sir Josepli Hooker, in "The Flora of New Zealand" and in 

 the "Handbook of the New Zealand Flora," includes the 

 plant represented in M. Richard's drawing, t. 35, Fl. Nouv.- 

 Zel. : this differs from Hooker's description in the slender 

 habit, somewhat flexuous branches, short racemes, and in the 

 emarginate pod with the stigma exceeding the notch : the 

 leaves are sharply serrate. I have only seen a single speci- 

 men of this form, which is sufficiently distinct to demand 

 varietal rank. 



The original drawing of Banks and Solander represents a 

 remarkably robust plant, the lower leaves of which are fully 

 4in. in length by upwai'ds of lin. in breadth, with short broad 

 petioles; acute, and the margins rather coarsely serrate. The 

 racemes are paniculate, and bear "ovate subacute pods, not 



