Petrie. — New Native Flowering-plants . 369 



5. Epilobium nerterioides A. Cunn. 



Most local botanical workers refer A. Cunningham's Epilobium nerterioides 

 to E. nummular if olium R. Cunn. as a variety. The seeds of E. nerterioides, 

 however, always have a smooth testa, whereas the testa is papillose in all 

 the forms of E. nummular if olium. As in addition to this constant difference 

 the vegetative characters are also fairly distinctive, it seems to me that 

 E. nerterioides should be considered a valid species. Its leaves are usually 

 quite entire, though occasionally slightly sinuate at the edges, are generally 

 marked by irregular shallow fairly-wide semidepressions on the upper sur- 

 face, and when fresh show a general green hue more or less mottled with 

 pale yellow. Its stems are prostrate, creeping and rooting, little branched, 

 and up to 10 cm. long, though commonly shorter. The plants form more or 

 less matted tufts from 8 cm. to 13 cm. across. There are two prevalent forms : 

 one, occurring on damp sandy soil, has small rather thin orbicular leav» s 

 somewhat distantly placed, fairly long peduncles that may reach 5 cm. when 

 in ripe fruit, and rather long capsules (= 2-5-3 cm.) ; the other form has 

 the leaves closer, more coriaceous, larger, and longer (sometimes broadly 

 elliptic and slightly reflexed with shallow sinuation at the edges), and 

 peduncles equalling the short rather stout capsules. I find no variation 

 in the size or form of the seeds. Mr. Cheeseman's variety angustum 

 of E. nummular if olium and Mr. Kirk's variety minimum both belong to 

 E. nerterioides. The species is widely spread throughout the Dominion, and 

 occurs also on the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand. I have examined 

 specimens from Peria and Fairburn (Mongonui County), Mercury Bay, 

 Gordon's Knob (Nelson), Cass River (Lake Tekapo), Speargrass Flat (Vincent 

 County), Pembroke (Lake Wanaka), Ashburton, Mount Cargill (Dunedin), 

 and Fortrose and Bluff (Southland). 



6. Note on Epilobium antipodum Petrie. 



For a considerable time I have been satisfied that my Epilobium anti- 

 podum is no other than E. crassum Hook. f. The latter was in cultivation 

 for a year or two in my garden, and chance seedlings of it grew up where 

 the seeds of the Antipodes Island plant had been sown some considerable 

 distance away. Satisfactory foliage-bearing pieces of the island plant had 

 not been seen, hence the regrettable failure to recognize what had happened. 



7. Epilobium Matthewsii n. sp. 



This name is proposed for my Epilobium arcuatum, a combination that 

 now proves to have been preoccupied when the original name was published 

 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 45, p. 266, 1913). The plant was only coming into 

 flower when I visited the Clinton Valley. Subseqiiently the late Henry J. 

 Matthews collected a few ripe capsules, but no entire plants. Though 

 the plant is still very imperfectly known, I consider it one of the most 

 distinct of the native species. The unavoidable change of name affords 

 me a welcome opportunity to commemorate the services of an enthusiastic 

 student of the native flowering-plants of our Dominion. 



8. Aciphylla Poppelwelli sp. nov. 



Planta A.- Traillii T. Kirk subsimilis, differt inflorescentia principali 

 recta (liaucl flexuosa), bracteis floralibus pernumerosis (nonnunquam 40 v. 



