Foweraker. — Mat-plants and Cushion-plants of Cass River Bed. 45 



been sent to me by its author, Dr. H. Hauri, of St. Gallen, Switzerland. 

 As it concerns in no small degree the cushion-plants of New Zealand, 

 in the absence of Mr. Foweraker, now bravely serving his countiy at the 

 front, I am adding this brief appendix. 



Hauri, by anatomical investigations, similar to those of Foweraker but 

 far less detailed, endeavours to find the relationship in cushion-plants 

 between anatomical structure and habitat, and also to determine if there 

 is "an anatomical as well as a morphological convergence. He deals with 

 ninety-eight species, of which the following, forming no less than 24 per 

 cent, of the plants treated of, are indigenous in New Zealand : Oreobolus 

 pumilio, 0. pectinatus, Hectorella caespitosa, Colobanthus brevisepalus, C. 

 muscoides, C. subulatus, C. Billardieri, Azorella Selago, Dracophyllum mus- 

 coides, Veronica pidvinaris, Phyllachne clavigera, Ph. Colensoi, Raoulia 

 australis, R. bryoides, R. eximia, R. Goyeni, R. grandiflora, R. Haastii, R. 

 lutescens, R. mammillaris, R. Parkii, R. Petriensis, R. rubra, and R. tenui- 



caulis. 



No full details of the structure of each plant are given, as by Foweraker,. 

 but certain important points (degree of hairiness, thickening of epidermis, 

 number of rows of palisade, presence of bast in leaf and young stem 

 respectively) are put in tabular form, and so the species can be readily 

 compared. 



Hauri comes to virtually the same conclusions as Foweraker, pointing 

 out that there is a distinct anatomical convergence, so that, judged ana- 

 tomically, cushion-plants are xerophytes. The author also points out that 

 the presence of bast in the leaves is an example of mechanical convergence. 

 This falls into two types— the one, where there is a peripheral strengthening 

 of the leaf by bast or thickened epidermis ; and the other, where there is, 

 in addition, a central strengthening by strands of bast-fibre. Central bast 

 without peripheral strengthening was not observed. A figure is given of 

 the transverse section of a leaf of the New Zealand endemic Dracophyllum 

 muscoides, showing its central bast development and thickened epidermis. 

 Structure of this character the author considers as especially suitable for 

 the more solid cushions. l, Cockayne, 



Joint Hon. Editor, New Zealand Institute. 



Art. II.— Notes on Parsonsia capsularis R. Br. 



By H. ('AfcSE. 



Communicated by Dr. L. Cockayne, F.R.S. 



{Received by Editors, 30th December, 1916; issued separately, 28th June, 1917.] 



For some years I have noted two very distinct forms of Parsonsia 

 capsularis R. Br.- — one, the small-flowered form described in the Manual 

 of tlie New Zealand Flora, which appears to occur freely in the Noith 

 Island, and perhaps in parts of the South Island, and another with much 

 larger flowers, which appears to be much more restricted in its habitat. 



When I heard of Dr. Cockayne's var. rosea* I communicated with him, 

 forwarding him specimens of the large-flowered variety for comparison. 



* This is Parsonsia rosea Raoul reduced to a var. of P. capsularis : see L. Cockayne, 

 Notes on the Plant Covering of Kennedy's Bush and other Scenic Reserves of the 

 Port Hills. Canterbury, Rep. on Scenery Preservation for 1915, p. 14. 



