362 Transactions. 



Art. XL. — Notes on Specimens of New Zealand Ferns and Flowering- 

 plants in London Herbaria. 



By W. R. B. Oliver, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Dominion Museum, Wellington. 



[Bead before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 17th November, 1920 ; received by Editor, 

 9th December, 1920 ; issued separately, 8th August, 1921.] 



The following notes are extracted from a number I made during a short 

 stay in London in 1919. I was able to spend a few weeks in the British 

 Museum and Kew herbaria examining, among other things, some of the 

 type specimens collected by the Forsters and R. Brown, and those described 

 by Bentham. 



Polystichum Richardi (Hook.) Diels. 



Aspidium coriaceum var. acutidentatum A. Rich., Voy. " Astrolabe," 

 Bot., 71, 1832. A. Richardi Hook., Sp. Fil, 4, 23, 1862. 

 A. ocidatum. Hook., Sp. Fil., 4, 24, 1862. 



Specimens of A. ocidatum in the British Museum marked " Prope Tigadu, 

 Tologa, Opuragi, Totaranui — Sir J. Banks and Dr. Solander (1769) " are 

 the ordinary coastal forms of A. Richardi. 



The earliest name applied to this species was a varietal one — acuti- 

 dentatum of Richard — and it would conduce to stability of nomenclature 

 if, following the zoological practice, such names were adhered to, but in 

 deference to the rules for botanical nomenclature I use Richardi. 



Davallia scoparia (Mett.) Hook. 



Adiantum clavatum Forst. (not Linn.), Prodr., No. 459, 1786. Lindsaya 

 scoparia Mett., Fil. N. Coded., 64. Davallia (Stenoloma) scoparia 

 (Mett.) Hook. & Bak., Syn. Fil, 101, 1868. D. Forsteri Carr. 

 in Seem., Fl. Viti., 339, 1869 (no desc.) ; Baker, Syn. Fil, ed. 2, 

 470, 1874. 



The specimen (No. 1550) collected by Vieillard in New Caledonia and 

 quoted by Hooker and Baker (Syn. Fil, 101) is in the British Museum. 

 On the same sheet are two specimens of a different species, labelled " Kanata, 

 New Caledonia." Another sheet with three specimens is marked " New 

 Zealand, Dusky Bay, Messrs. Forster," and, in a different handwriting, 

 " Adiantum clavatum Forst." These are identical with the species collected 

 by Vieillard. It is probable that Carruthers (Fl. Viti., 339) gave them a 

 new name on account of their difference from the Kanata specimens. In 

 any case, Davallia scoparia is a tropical species, and, as suggested by 

 Cheeseman, Forster's specimens were in all probability collected in some 

 locality in Polynesia, and I would therefore recommend that the name 

 D. Forsteri be omitted from the list of New Zealand plants. 



