366 Transactions. — Botany. 



This genus belongs to the order Leguminosce. Hooker" 

 says, " This genus is confined to New Zealand, and is com- 

 posed of shrubs or small trees, usually quite leafless, or leafy 

 in the young state only. The branches are flattened and 

 green." Dielsf says concerning this genus, " Carmichaelia 

 exsul, with many tender leaves, grows in the underwood of the 

 palm forests of Lord Howe Island ; and even Carmichaelia 

 australis, the only representative of its stock in the north- 

 west of New Zealand, still parades in a rich foliage. 

 In their growth they certainly all bear pinnate leaves, like 

 the phyllode-bearing Acacias of New Zealand. These leaves, 

 in the neighbourhood of the soil protected by the shade 

 of higher growths and by a hairy covering from drying 

 up, possess anthocyanin in their interior and insunk stomata. 

 From the beginning stem and leaf-stalk are provided with 

 chlorenchyma and stereom, so that when they have attained 

 a height of 5 cm. the little plants already stop leaf-formation 

 and transfer the function of the leaves to flat shoots which 

 now serve for nourishment for several years." I had no 

 opportunity of examining young plants. All . three species 

 agree in the flattened arrangement of their shoots, but differ 

 somewhat in habit. 



Carmichaelia flagelliformis, Colenso.J 



This is a shrub about 2 ft. -4 ft. in height, much branched 

 with rather slender branchlets (fig. 6a) ; often it straggles 

 on the ground. A few very small leaves appear on the young 

 branches (not on the older ones), with the inflorescences ; these 

 are only yb~ m - in length (October), and hence are not of much 

 practical use as assimilatory organs (fig. 6b). The leaves are 

 of the ordinary dorsiventral type ; they have a few hairs on 

 their upper and lower surfaces, the stomata are borne on the 

 lower surface, and there is a violet colouration (anthocyanin) 

 in some of the subepidermal cells of the lower surface. The 

 shoots arise at an acute angle from the branch which bears 

 them, and their flattened surfaces are not horizontal, but 

 vertical ; so the sun's rays do not strike them directly, evapo- 

 ration being lessened by this means. A similar growth of 

 shoot-axes is seen also in Carmichaelia monroi (fig. 8) and 

 C. nana (not represented). 



The flattened shoot of G. flagelliformis is about y^in. broad; 

 in C. monroi it is about ^in. broad, and is slightly stouter; 

 in C. nana it is very slender, the flattened surface being about 

 ^in. broad. 



* " Handbook of New Zealand Flora." 

 t " Vegetations-Biologie." 



I Hab. North and South Islands : East Coast, Milford Sound, 

 Nelson, Otago, Akaroa. 



