T. Kirk. — On New Zealand Species of Gunnera. 343 



others the scapes become elongated as the fruit matures, and 

 the showy yellow or crimson drupes are elevated above the 

 leaves. In at least one species the drupes are of different 

 shapes at different periods of the growing- season : in the early 

 spring the drupes are ovate or ovoid, and form a compact obtuse 

 mass hidden at the base of the leaves ; later in the season 

 erect scapes are developed on the same plant, and produce lax 

 pendulous clavate drupes. 



All the New Zealand species are endemic, but their distribu- 

 tion is unequal, and it must be mentioned that G. monoica, found 

 as far north as Mongonui, G. proreyens which finds its northern 

 limit at the Hunua (Auckland), G. flavida which has not been 

 found north of Hawke's Bay, and G. dentata which extends 

 northward to Tongariro, alike exhibit a more robust habit as 

 they approach their southern limit in Otago or Stewart Island : 

 the remaining species except the local G. arenaria are re- 

 stricted to the South Island, one or two being rather local. 

 G. flavida and others occur most plentifully in Sphagnum bogs. 



The genus comprises about twenty-five species, a,nd is 

 almost completely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. 

 Outside the New Zealand species, one is found in Tasmania, 

 others extend to the Falkland Islands, Fuegia and other parts 

 of South America, Central America, Juan Fernandez, the 

 Sandwich Islands, Java, Abyssinia, and South Africa. 



1. Gunnera monoica, Kaoul. In Ann. Sc. Nat., ii., 117 (1814), 

 and Choix de PI. de la Nouv.-Zelande, xv., t. 8. 

 A slender tufted plant with creeping rhizomes, glabrous or 

 almost strigose. Leaves reniform or orbicular, with few short 

 hairs on both surfaces, ^in.-fin. in diameter, 3-5-lobed, or 

 crenate, or crenate-dentate only ; petioles slender, lin.-2in. 

 long. Panicle lin.-3in. long, very slender, male flowers above; 

 female with few short, often crowded branches ; staminate 

 flowers sessile or shortly pedicelled, peiianth of two minute 

 narrow acuminate segments ; female segments 2, acute ; 

 styles elongated, capillary. Fruits minute, spherical, forming 

 a compact spike or panicle hidden amongst the leaves. 

 Hook, f., Fl. N.Z., i., 65; Handbook N.Z. FL, 67. DC, 

 Prodr., xvi., ii., 599. G. prorepens, Hook, f., Fl. Antarc, 

 ii., 274 (in note ; not of Hook, f., Fl. N.Z., i., 66). 



Hah. In cool, moist situations, Mongonui to Stewart 

 Island, but often rare and local. 



Var. strigosa, sp. Colenso. In Trans. N.Z. Inst., xv. (1882), 



322. 



Whole plant more hairy, especially the rhizomes and 

 petioles, which are often strigose. Leaves sometimes crowded 

 at the nodes. 



