CoLENso. — On Ncir Pluenogarnic Plants. 475 



from the anther. Style long, erect, stout, xVi'^-- ^^hnple ; 

 stigma muricate- (or ray-) pencilled. Capsule small, sub- 

 orbicular depressed, enclosed by enlarged slightly fleshy dark- 

 red calyx. Seeds of various irregular shapes, mostly 3— 4-sided^ 

 shining, finely dotted, liglit-brown. 



H(th. Wood, south of Danuevirke, County of Waipawa ; 

 1887-89 : W. C. 



Ohs. I. This jilant is a highly peculiar one : 1. From its- 

 precise habitat — epiphytal on a tree-fern, a species of Dicksonia, 

 12ft. high, and full-fronded, its caudex closely covered with 

 two small climbing-ferns — Hi/vienojjhi/lhim flabellatam, Lab.,, 

 and Trichoviancs cenosnm, Br. — in naatted growth : and there- 

 in, at 4ft. from the ground, flourishes this Gaulthcria at an 

 angle of 45°. It is the only instance I have ever known of a 

 Gaiiltlieria so growing. A few other forest shrubs and trees, 

 however, are not unfrequently met with in such situations. 

 2. From its remarkably free, airy, semi-regular, and graceful 

 form, differing much in this respect from the other known 

 New Zealand Gaultherias. 



II. It is pretty closely allied to G. antipoda, Forst. (which 

 grows in profusion on the cliffy heights near), but differs from 

 that and other New Zealand species and varieties in several 

 characters — as in its sub-membranous and mucronate leaves, 

 which are also differently shaped, and otherwise and much 

 more veined, and most particularly in its muricated stamens, 

 which are also of a different form and colour, il-c. For some 

 considerable time I sui:)posed it to be a plant of G. antipoda 

 (or of one of its varieties) a little altered in growth and appear- 

 ance from its strange and unique habitat ; but on dissection 

 and examination (on my obtaining perfect and complete speci- 

 mens) I found it to possess very different characters. Several 

 botanists have pretty fully described G. antipoda, Forst., par- 

 ticularly A. Richard, among other New Zealand plants (in his 

 "Voyage de IMstrolabe : Part Botanique"), who has also 

 given a folio drawing of the plant with good clear dissections, 

 which show the great difference in the form, &c., of its stamens 

 and anthers compared with those of this species. In his 

 copious and clear description of G. antipoda he also says {inter 

 alia), "Corolla — ovata, laciniis brevibus, revolutis, acutis ; 

 stamina — filamentis albis planis, infra medium dilatatis ovali- 

 bus basi angustatis ; antherai ovoida; — apice bilaciniata, laciniis 

 bicnmbus; semina sub-ovata " (/of . cit.,\). 212). Of course, 

 I am well aware of the many varieties (a, /?, y, S, e) given 

 by Sir J. D. Hooker in his "Flora Novae- Zealandiaj," 

 in the "Handbook" ditto, and in "Flora Tasmania?," 

 under his description of G. antipoda ; but this plant differs 

 from them all. Hitherto, in spite of all my diligent search in 

 those woods, extending over three years, I have only met with 



