Williams. — Abnormal Grozvth of Phormium colensoi. 333 



Plate XX. 

 Flat tussock meadow of Antipodes Island. Bog in centre. Inland tussock 

 slope on right. 



Plate XXI. 

 Aralia lyallii growing near shore, Ruapuke Island, Foveaux Strait. 



Plate XXII. 



Veronica lycopodioides after culture for some months in moist air and 

 feeble light. To illustrate " plasticity " of certain New Zealand 

 plants. 



Plate XXIII. 



Map of Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands, and Bounty Islands. (In the 

 map of the Auckland Islands " Musgrave Inlet " should read " Nor- 

 man Inlet," and vice versa.) 



Plate XXIV. 

 Map of Campbell Island. 



Art. XXVII. — Abnormal Grotvth of a Plant of Phormium 



colensoi. * 



By the Eight Eev. W. L. Williams, D.D., Bishop of 



Waiapu. 



Plate XXV. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 6th July, 1903.] 



In the month of February, 1896, having occasion to walk 

 round the rocks at Blackhead, my attention was attracted 

 by a plant of Phor^nium colensoi, growing a little above high- 

 water mark, which was then in seed, the seed-capsules being 

 accompanied with numerous persistent bracts, which were 

 then quite dry. A specimen of this was brought away and 

 sent to the late Professor Kirk. A few seeds which dropped 

 from this specimen were sown, and one of the plants raised 

 from that seed is the subject of this paper. 



On this plant in the spring of 1900 one scape appeared, 

 which did not grow to a height of more than about 3 ft. One 

 or two abortive flowers were produced, but instead of more 

 flowers a cluster of buds appeared, each of which produced a 

 number of leaves from 12 in. to 15 in. long. These buds were 

 afterwards cut off and planted, but none of them took root. 

 In 1901 four scapes shot up, the growth of each of which was 

 arrested at the height of about 'd>^it., no flowers being pro- 

 duced, but each scape being crowned with a large cluster of 

 leafy buds, like the scape of the previous year, the leaves being 

 now from 18 in. to 2 ft. long. In 1902 four scapes again ap- 

 peared, three of which are about 7 ft. high. These all pro- 

 duced flowers and seeds in the normal way, though the flowers 



