T. Kirk. — On the New Zealand Species of Colobanthus. 355 



is soft in C. qtiitensis, C. billardieri, and G. muscoides, but all 

 the others are cartilaginous and rigid ; in many cases they 

 present a chaffy appearance. The leaves are small, opposite, 

 and usually linear-subulate in shape, deeply channelled on the 

 upper surface and convex beneath : with few exceptions they 

 are either apiculate or terminate in a long acicular point. The 

 flowers are solitary, and may be almost sessile or carried on 

 longer or shorter peduncles, which rarely are fully 4in. in 

 length, white, and translucent : they are either tetramerous or 

 pentamerous, but the petals are never developed, and the 

 sepals may be either membranous or strongly cartilaginous, 

 while they may equal the ovoid capsule or exceed it by one- 

 third or even one-half : most frequently they resemble the 

 leaves in being apiculate, or tipped with long acicular points. 

 The filaments are flat, alternating with the sepals, and are 

 inserted at the margin of the hypogynous disc, which is some- 

 times strongly developed, and at others reduced to a mere 

 line. The ovoid capsules are one-celled, containing numerous 

 small almost reniform seeds, which are minutely dotted. To 

 some extent Colobanthus represents the northern genus Sagina, 

 L., in the Southern Hemisphere : the older species were 

 formerly referred to that genus. 



Colobanthus, Bartling. 



1. C. quitensis, Bart. In Eeliq. Haenkianse, ii., 13. 



Tufted, lin.-2in. high, soft, green, glabrous, excessively 

 branched. Lower leaves about ^in. long, with broad mem- 

 branous bases, concave above, acute; upper -Jin. -Jin., connate ; 

 peduncles very short, terminal. Sepals 4, ovate-oblong obtuse, 

 the two lateral smaller than the others, one-third longer than 

 the ripe capsule. Disc narrow. Hook, f., Handbook N.Z. 

 Fl., 24: Phil. Cat. PI. Vase Chil, 27. 



Hab. South Island : Nelson Mountains ; Kowhai Eiver, 

 Canterbury ; Otago. 



The leaves and sepals of the New Zealand plant are rarely 

 mucronate, but never acicular. This species is found 

 throughout the Andes, also on Amsterdam Island, &c. 



2. C. billardieri, Fenzl. In Ann. des Wien Mus., i., 49. 



Tufted, forming large patches rarely exceeding an inch in 

 height, flaccid, grassy. Leaves Jin. —fin. long, linear-subulate, 

 channelled above, tips acute or acicular ; peduncles Jin.-lin. 

 long, white. Sepals 5, ovate, acute or acuminate, scarcely 

 exceeding the ovary. Disc narrow. Hook, f., Fl. Antarc, 

 i., 26; Fl. Tasm., L, 45; Handbook N.Z. Fl., 25: Eaoul, 

 Choix, 48; Benth., Fl. Aust., i., 161; F. Muell., Second 

 Census Aust. PL, 46. Phil. Cat. PI. Vase. Chil., 87. Colo- 



