Carse. — Ferns and Fern Allies of Mangonui Count)/. 87 



gullies as a rule, frequently with its roots in quite wet land and its fronds 

 exposed to sun and wind. The best-known patch of T. barbara occurs near 

 Mangonui, and its surroundings are markedly different from the usual 

 spots occupied by it. At Mangonui this plant occurs associated with Lepto- 

 spermum scrub, in dry barren-looking clay soil, the remains of an ancient 

 landslide. In most other places where I have seen it it is closely associated 

 with water. Near Cape Maria van Diemen it is found in an open gully, 

 forming great tussocks in the middle of a morass which at the time I saw 

 it, though after some months of severe drought, was thoroughly saturated. 

 Near Kaitaia it occurs freely in sandy soil on tlie bank of a small moor- 

 land creek, the soil about the roots being quite wet all the year. Even at 

 Mangonui, dry though its surroundings are, the more robust plants invariably 

 occur in hollows, and no doubt the densely massed trunks, shaded by the 

 close-growing fronds, will be able to absorb a considerable amount of moisture. 



Dr. Cockayne's remarks on Todea and Leptopteris* are well worth a 

 perusal. 



T. hymenophylloides A. Rich, is a handsome fern, characteristic of the 

 deep bush, where it occurs freely in damp gullies, in which it is protected 

 from sun and wind. In well-matured forms the rhizome is produced into 

 a caudex 2—4 ft. in height, from which rises a crown of graceful fronds. 



29. Marattia Smith. 



The one New Zealand species (M. fraxinea Smith) occurs sparingly in 

 gullies of the Maungataniwha Range. At one time it was much more 

 plentiful, but the axe of the settler and roving cattle are rapidly rendering 

 this handsome species a thing of the past. The stipes of this fern is articu- 

 lated at the base into a part of the tuberous rhizome mass, something like 

 a horse's hoof in shape. In the olden days these parts of the plant, which 

 contain the " bud " of succeeding plants, were set in the ground by the 

 Natives as potatoes are now, and, when matured, the starchy rhizomes 

 were cooked and eaten. 



30. Ophioglossum Linn. 



Both the species mentioned in the Manual occur. 



0. lusitanicum Linn. : iL This, so far as New Zealand is concerned, consists 

 of the varieties gramineum, lusitanicum, and minimum of the Flora and the 

 Handbook " (Manual, p. 1027). The only form of this I have noticed 

 occurs in sandy places near the sea ; it is a small slender form, rarelv 

 exceeding 4 in. in height, often under 1 in. 



0. vulgatum Linn, is not uncommon in damp grassy places and lowland 

 scrub. It can usually be distinguished from 0. lusitanicum by its larger 

 size, the position of the lamina of the sterile frond, near the middle of the 

 petiole, and the longer fertile spike, with a greater number of sporangia. 



31. Botrychium Swartz. 



One of the species included in the Manual occurs sparingly in the district 

 — B. ternatum Swartz. It was at one time not uncommon, but the spread 

 of settlement has changed the face of the country, and this, with many 

 other interesting plants, is becoming rarer year by year. 



* Cockayne, I.e., pp. 50-51. 



