258 Transactions. 



L. scariosum Forst. 



This species, lil^e the last, occurs fairly commonly in open situations 

 at fairly high elevations, especially throughout the South Island. In 

 such a situation it is always creeping on the surface of the ground. 

 Individual plants may have an extreme length of 5-6 ft., but are gene- 

 rally sl.iorter. The stout and rigid main stem bears branches both of 

 unlimited and of limited growth. The former are closely adpressed to 

 the surface of the ground, and bear the adventitious roots. The branches 

 of limited growth are heterophyllous, and are markedly flattened in the 

 plane of the ground. The development of the heterophylly is different 

 in this species from that in L. voluhile, and has been fully described else- 

 where (11, p. 366). The cones are from 1 in. to 2 in. in length, and 

 are borne singly at the ends of branchlets on peduncles, in the same 

 manner as has been described for L. fastigiatum, and as is so well known 

 in the European species L. clavatum. When growing amongst thick fern 

 vegetation — as, for example, on the tailing-heaps in the neighbourhood 

 of the old alluvial gold-mining claims in Westland — it is noticeable that 

 this species may show an almost entire absence of the usual dorsiventral 

 appearance of its branches. The lateral branches are erect, and, except 

 in the older parts of the branches, the leaves are scattered and tend to 

 be acicular in form, while in the ultimate branchlets they are reduced 

 to mere scales. The general habit of the plants in these cases is almost 

 scrambling, and the long, rigidly erect, naked, and closely croAvded 

 ultimate branchlets present a very characteristic and forest-like appear- 

 ance. The tips of certain of these branchlets become fertile and develop 

 as cones, while isolated fertile regions may also be found occasionally on 

 other branchlets. 



Summary . 



Of the foregoing eleven species of Lycopodium native in New Zea- 

 land, one is generally an epiphyte (Z. Billardieri) ; another is sometimes 

 epiphytic, but more frequently terrestrial {L. varium) ; five occur in 

 more or less wet habitats {L. ceriiuum, L. laterale, L. Drummondii, 

 L. ramulosum, and L. Selago) ; and four in dry and at times fully exposed 

 localities (L. voluhile, L. scariosum, L. fastigiatum, and L. denh^um). 

 All of these species except L. Selago and L. cernuum are confined to the 

 countries and islands of the South Pacific Ocean, so that possibly they 

 are not Avell known either to European or to American botanists. A 

 somewhat detailed description of their occurrence and habit has therefore 

 been given, but more exact ecological studies are demanded before a 

 true estimate of their life-requirements can be gained. Some of these 

 species are amongst the largest of rnodtrn Lycopodiums. as, for ex- 

 ample, L. voluhile, L. scariosum, L. densum, and L. ceriiuum ; and also, 

 as will' be described lx4ow, the vascular cylinder of the stem in these 

 species is greatly developed. Two show dimorphism in their leaf-structure 

 (L. voluhile and L. scariosum), but other characters show that these two 

 Bpecies are not closely related. In several of the species the character of 

 the fertile regions is variable, and also the habit of the whole plant in one 

 or two cases varies, perhaps epharmonically, under differing conditions. 

 Not a few of the New Zealand species occur most abundantly in localities 

 formerly occupied by forest. For example, L. densum and L. laferale find 

 their most luxuriant development on the clay gum-lands of the Auckland 

 Province, areas occupied at no greatly distant bygone period by the 

 kauri-tree forests; L. Billnrdieri and L. voluhile also occur freely in 

 these localities; L. cernuum is also abundant in the same locality, but 



