Cockayne. — Ecological Studies in E volution . 9 



2. The white variety of Clianthus puniceus Banks & Sol. 



The type has scarlet flowers. It is now very scarce as a wild plant, but 

 grew originally on or near sea-cliffs from the East Cape district northwards, 

 and inland at Lake Waikaremoana. The type is a most common garden- 

 plant ; it is propagated from seeds, and comes true. According to Cheese- 

 man (1907, p. 443), from information supplied by Mr. H. Hill, the flowers 

 of East Cape plants vary considerably in colour, size, shape, and relative 

 proportions of the petals. At Waikaremoana the flowers are comparatively 

 small and reddish-purple. At Tolaga and Tokomaru they are large, and the 

 standard very broad, with a whitish stripe on each side near the base. 



The white form is white throughout. It is propagated from seed, and, 

 according to Mr. T. W. Adams, comes true.* It is very common in culti- 

 vation. As for its origin, according to Cheeseman, " a white-flowered 

 variety is stated by the Maoris to grow on the Tiniroto cliffs." This may 

 or may not be the source of the garden form. Possibly G. puniceus consists 

 of several elementary species. 



3. Geranium Traversii Hook. f. var. elegans Cockayne (Geraniac). 



The normal colour of the flowers of G. Traversii is white. It grows on 

 coastal cliffs of the Chatham Islands. The flowers of var. elegans are pink 

 in colour, and rather larger. It comes " true ' : from seed. According 

 to Captain Dorrien Smith, it is found occasionally on Chatham Island, but 

 I only know it as a garden-plant. 



4. Phormium tenax Forst., form with purplish leaves (Liliac). 



The origin of this striking plant is not known. It is very common in 

 New Zealand gardens It appears to come very nearly, or perhaps abso- 

 lutely, true from seed, and the young plants have much more brilliantly 

 coloured leaves than the adult. 



P. tenax was commonly cultivated by the Maoris, who recognized by 

 name many distinct-looking forms. f Some of these appear to reproduce 

 themselves more or less true, while others are probably of hybrid origin. 



5. Phormium Cookianum Le Jobs, form with bracts in part instead of 



flowers (Liliac). (See Williams, 1904, p. 333, and pi. 25.) 

 The plant in question was discovered by the Right Rev. Bishop Wil- 

 liams growing a little above high- water mark at Blackhead. It was then 

 in seed, and the capsules were accompanied by numerous persistent bracts. 

 A few of the seeds were sown. One of the young plants produced an in- 

 florescence similar to that of the parent in 1900 and 1901, but in 1902 the 

 four scapes produced flowers and seeds in the usual way, but these in the 

 course of the summer " began to be clothed with leaves " in their upper 

 portions. 



6. Various crimson- and pink-flowered forms of Leptospermum scoparium 



Forst. (Myrtac). 

 At least six individuals of Leptospermum scoparium bearing crimson or 

 deep-pink flowers without a trace of white have been found wild in various 



* Mr. Cheeseman informs me that he also has raised the white form from seed, and 

 that none of the plants produced flowers other than white. 



f Fifty-seven names are given in " Phormium tenax as a Fibrous Plant " ( Wellington, 

 1872), but it is now known that many of them are synonyms. There are extensive col- 

 lections on some of the Government experimental farms, where their behaviour as to 

 constancy, hybridization, &c, is being studied. 



