Cockayxe. — Notes on New Zealand Floristic Botany. 59 



the petals more or less stained rose-colour, and the rather large capsules. 

 As the variety is widespread in its range and frequently occurs in consider- 

 able quantity, there can be little doubt regarding its coming true from 

 seed and thus being a valid taxonomic variety. 



So greatly was I impressed by the distinctness of the plant under con- 

 sideration that in my original notes, taken near the Rangaumu Estuary on 

 the 5th March, 1905, it is stated, " No description of the vegetation is 

 complete which does not lay stress upon the two forms of manuka so 

 distinct when growing/' and also upon " the pink flowers " of the variety 

 with hoary leaves. 



20. Notospartium Carmichaeliae Hook. f. and N. torulosum T. Kirk. 



In Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora, when dealing with the plate 

 of Notospartium Carmichaeliae, Cheeseman writes, regarding that species 

 and N. torulosum T. Kirk, " I have been much puzzled at finding little or 

 no difference in the whole of the specimens brought under my notice, while 

 there is considerable deviation in the shape of the pod." Regarding this 

 shape of pod, I do not intend to discuss the question here, since I under- 

 stand that Mr. D. Petrie proposes to deal with a quantity of material 

 collected by Mr. B. C. Aston in the Clarence Valley, the pod of which is 

 much broader than that of N. Carmichaeliae from farther north, but an 

 examination of certain specimens has shown that there are considerable 

 distinctions in the flowers of two species of the genus. 



The material at my disposal for studying the flowers of Notospartium 

 was derived from the following sources : (1) Avondale, which is a branch 

 valley of the Waihopai, the original habitat of N. Carmichaeliae ; (2) the 

 neighbourhood of Hanmer Plain, only a few miles distant from one of the 

 two original habitats of N. torulosum. The Avondale and Hanmer habitats 

 have been already recorded by me (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 48, p. 206, 

 1916). I will assume for sake of argument that the Hanmer plant is 

 N. torulosum, while the Avondale plant is certainly N. Carmichaeliae. 



Description of the Hanmer plant (Notospartium torulosum) :• — 



Final twigs extremely slender, drooping, ? rather dark green. Racemes 

 frequently in pairs from a much-reduced branchlet, sometimes branching 

 sparingly, + 5 cm. long, flowers not crowded. Flowers with large black- 

 purple blotch at base, whence many dark-purple lines radiate upwards to 

 margin, becoming rather paler as they ascend ; keel 8-5 mm. long, with 

 black -purple blotch at apex, whence purple lines pass towards base; 

 standard 9 mm. long and 5 mm. broad ; wings rather shorter than the keel, 

 linear-oblong about 1 mm. wide ; calyx campanulate, glabrous except on 

 teeth, which are large, broad, minutely pilose on margin and within, and 

 rounded at apex. 



Notospartium Carmichaeliae (Avondale) has racemes shorter (3-5 cm. 

 long) than those of N. torulosum ; they are unbranched, dense-flowered, 

 and pilose. The flowers have a shorter but much broader standard and 

 much shorter claw, subacute calyx-teeth, pilose calyx, and much broader 

 wings. The flowers are far more showy. 



Notospartium torulosum (Hanmer) differs from N. Carmichaeliae (Avon- 

 dale) in its longer, glabrous, branched, more open-flowered racemes, narrower 

 and longer standard, much narrower wings, and obtuse or rounded calyx- 

 teeth, which are glabrous outside but minutely hairy within and on margins. 



The colour-differences are also considerable, but I have no exact notes 

 regarding the colour of N. Carmichaeliae, since the flowers quickly fade' 



