342 Transactions. -^Botany. 



1882, when the Eev. W. Colenso described a form of G. monoica 

 which he considered worthy of specific honours, in the fifteenth 

 volume of Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. The 

 name of another plant, G. liamiltonii, was published by its 

 discoverer in the seventeenth volume, but without description ; 

 while Mr. Colenso described a remarkable species as G. flavida 

 in the following year ; and in the twenty-fifth volume Mr. 

 Petrie described his G. "ovata," which unfortunately comprised 

 two distinct plants. As showing the small amount of attention 

 which these plants have received, it may be pointed out that, 

 although G. prorepens, a common species in some districts, 

 was published more than forty years ago, its flowers are still 

 unknown. This neglect is due to various causes, amongst 

 which may be enumerated the absence of the genus from large 

 districts, especially in the populated parts of the North 

 Island and near the centres of population in the South Island ; 

 their restriction to swampy or watery places, and their flower- 

 ing in the early spring, when such places are usually difficult 

 of access ; their remarkably inconspicuous flowers, which are 

 almost invariably hidden amongst the leaves; and especially 

 their monoecious or dioecious character, which renders it diffi- 

 cult to obtain complete series of flowers and fruit. Although 

 the three species included in the Handbook are increased in 

 this paper to nine, only one of these is described in a satisfac- 

 tory manner, owing to the imperfect material at my command. 

 It may, however, be hoped that this extended notice will 

 attract greater attention to this interesting genus, and lead 

 not only to fuller descriptions, but to a detailed account of the 

 complicated anatomy and histology of each species. 



All the species are more or less tufted, their creeping 

 rhizomes often forming matted patches. The Chilian G. sea- 

 bra has leaves from 4ft. to 8ft. in diameter, carried on peti- 

 oles 6ft. in length ; but the New Zealand species are lowly 

 herbs, with inconspicuous unisexual flowers, which may be 

 monoecious or dioecious : sometimes male and female flowers 

 are developed on the same scape, when the lower flowers are 

 pistillate and the upper staminate ; both staminate and pis- 

 tillate flowers have a bract at the base of each, and a perianth 

 of two, or rarely four, very small segments. The anthers, two 

 in number, are sometimes destitute of filaments, and the 

 pistillate flowers are invariably furnished with two styles, 

 which may be elongated and almost capillary, or stouter and 

 compressed at the base, but invariably covered with minute 

 papillae. The ovary is one-celled, and contains a single pen- 

 dulous ovule, while the fruit is a small, fleshy drupe, white, 

 orange-coloured, or red, with a very minute embryo and oily 

 endosperm. In the majority of species both flowers and fruit 

 are wholly hidden amongst the leaves, but in G. flavida and 



