L. Cockayne. — Notes on New Zealand Floristic Botany. 171 



A careful comparison of living plants of both varieties in my garden 

 shows that there is no important difference between them except size, 

 while the structure of the flower is identical in both. 



The plant was found in the first instance by myself in 1892, growing in 

 rather moist soil on cliffs a little distance from the sea at Kaikoura, and 

 shortly after that I found it to be abundant under the subalpine scrub on 

 Mount Fyffe (Seaward Kaikoura Mountains). Plants were cultivated in 

 my New Brighton garden, where they, or their seedlings, remained for six 

 years at least ; and seeds were sent in 1897, and probably earlier, to various 

 European botanical gardens under the name Epilobium Cockaynianum* 

 Petrie ined., but which Petrie never published. In 1905 Mr. H. J. Matthews 

 and myself again observed the plant on Mount Fyffe, and I recorded its 

 occurrence in Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 38, p. 373, 1906, as Epilobium sp. aff. 

 E. chloraefolium Hausskn. Since then the plant in question has been found 

 by Mr. C. E. Foweraker and myself in the Awatere Valley, by Mr. B. C. 

 Aston in the Clarence Valley, and by Professor A. Wall on the Seaward 

 Kaikoura Mountains ; while a plant from Mount Isabel, at Hanmer, collected 

 by Mr. C. E. Christensen probably is var. kaikourense. In other words, 

 the variety is confined to the North-eastern Botanical District, where it 

 is of wide distribution from sea-level to at least 900 m. altitude, and grows 

 on rock, beneath shrubs, and probably in shady tussock grassland. 



Phytogeographically the distribution of E. chloraefolium var. kaikourense 

 is an interesting case of a true-breeding race of a species of wide distri- 

 bution being confined to a limited area which possesses a special ecological 

 character, as reflected in the great number of locally endemic plants. 



From the horticultural standpoint, the ease of culture of the plant, its 

 general habit, beautiful long-blooming flowers, and purplish foliage and 

 stems render it worthy of any rock-garden ; nor is there fear of its becoming 

 a weed, as in the case of certain New Zealand Epilobia. 



(b.) Epilobium chloraefolium Hausskn. var. verum Cockayne var. nov. 



This equals E. chloraefolium as described by Haussknecht in Mono- 

 graphic der Gattung Epilobium., p. 299, Taf. 19, fig. 81, 1884. No further 

 description is needed. The differences between var. verum and var. kai- 

 kourense are given above. 



31. Epilobium pedunculare A. Cunn. var. brunnescens Cockayne var. nov. 



Caulibus pallidis saepe brunneis tinctis. Foliis ovato-oblongis vel 

 oblongo-rotundatis, supra pallide viridibus saepe brunnescentibus, margine 

 remote dentatis, subtus purpurascentibus. Capsulis glaberrimis, pallide 

 bruneis, + 5-3 cm. longis ; pedicellis colore capsulis etiam, multo elongatis, 

 6-6 cm. longis. 



This variety forms large more or less circular patches. The leaves vary 

 in size, but about 9 mm. long is frequent ; the petioles are about 3 mm. 

 long. Where exposed to bright light the leaves assume a brownish tinge. 

 The flowers are small, white, and about 5 mm. diameter. The calyx- 

 segments are narrow-oblong, 3 mm. long, brownish, and end in a swollen 

 purplish apex. The capsule is more than three times the length of the 

 ovary, and the peduncle increases from about 2-2 cm. to 5-7 cm. as the 

 capsule develops. 



* E. Cockaynianum Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 41, p. 140, 1909, has no 

 relationship to this, but is related to E. alsinoides A. Cunn. 



