1 74 Transact ions . 



is well illustrated in Das Pflanzenreich (IV. 225. Halorrhagaceae, p. 108, 

 fig. 31). After examining Mr. Laing's specimens, and comparing them with 

 the above-cited figure, &c, I came to the conclusion that the species was 

 either G. cordifolia or a variety of that species, and so dealt with it in my 

 unpublished Vegetation of New Zealand. 



Laing (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 44, pp. 65-66, 1912) drew up a detailed 

 description of the Gunnera in question in the field with the living plant 

 before him, and his and my original opinions are considered below. 



Regarding the Craigieburn Mountains plant, Laing stated (I.e., p. 66) 

 that Cheeseman had informed him it was distinct from the Lake Tennyson 

 plant, and that it had been identified' by the Kew authorities as Gunnera 

 densiflora Hook. f. 



Learning recently that Professor Wall intended paying a botanical visit 

 to the Trelissick Basin, I explained to him as exactly as I could — no easy 

 matter — the precise spot where I had collected the Gunnera in 1896, and 

 urged him to make a thorough search. This he most willingly did, and not 

 only found the plant in quantity in the locality indicated, but discovered 

 other stations for it in the neighbourhood. He secured ample material, 

 of which he sent me abundance both living and dried, some of the former 

 being now growing. in my garden. As it is a matter of considerable phyto- 

 geographical importance to get detailed knowledge of this rather critical 

 species of Gunnera I am publishing a description. 



Description of the Gunnera from the Craigieburn Mountains. 



Rhizome short, ± 19 mm. long by 5'5 mm. thick, rooting with straight 

 roots about 8 mm. long, and giving off stout, terete, dark-brown, more or 

 less strigose-pilose stolons each about 3 cm. long and 2 mm. diam. Leaves 

 in rosettes of about 4 or 5 + 3"5 cm. across ; petiolate with petiole variable in 

 length from about 2-2-8 cm., fleshy, pale often tinged pink, terete or chan- 

 nelled above or only near junction with lamina, pilose with strigose white 

 hairs on back and margin but variable in this respect as to density of hairs 

 on different leaves of same plant ; lamina moderately bright green, coriaceous, 

 usually more or less cordate at base, sometimes truncate, auricled at base 

 with two small toothed appendages + 2 mm. long which are bent upwards, 

 orbicular or broadly ovate-orbicular, hairy above and on margin, glabrous 

 beneath, rounded at apex or occasionally almost subacute, rather coarsely 

 but sharply toothed with about 9 teeth + 1 mm. long on each side, veins 

 evident above and beneath, midrib stout and keeled beneath. 



Flowers unisexual, numerous. Male flowers in spikes about 2-5 cm. long 

 terminating rather stout scapes about 2-8 cm. long arising from axils of 

 leaves and densely covered with brown strigose hairs ; pedicels very short, 

 subtended by a small narrow subulate bract about 2 mm. long ; calyx- 

 lobes 2, narrow-triangular, about 1 mm. long ; petals 2, transverse, narrow 

 linear-spathulate, much exceeding anthers, 4 mm. long and 0-5 mm. wide 

 near the black acute apex ; stamens 2, situated on base of petals, broadly 

 ellipsoid, 2 mm. long, rounded at apex, filaments extremely short. Female 

 crowded into a dense globose head about 6 mm. long terminating a stout, 

 fleshy, pale or pale-brown scape 10 mm. long, pilose with numerous white 

 hairs ; calyx-tube urceolate, pale green, smooth, about 2 mm. long ; calyx- 

 lobes 2, subulate, purple with black tip, about 0-75 mm. long. Styles 2, 

 wide-spreading, pale brown, 4-5 mm. long, stigmatic throughout. 



On compa ing, detail by detail, the above description with that of Laing 

 (for the Lake Tennyson plant), of Schindler (for the Tasmanian plant), 



