Laing. — Revised List of the Norfolk Island Flora. 25 



The margins are entire, repand, or irregularly notched, with shallow indenta- 

 tions ; the upper surface is highly polished (in the New Zealand plant it 

 is dull) ; the under-surface is not polished, and of a lighter green in colour. 

 The upper leaves are about 10-15 cm. long and 6-8 cm. broad. The leaves 

 are thus very much larger than those of the New Zealand species, which 

 in the South Island, at any rate, do not average more than about half of 

 these dimensions. The flowers on both varieties seem to be very similar. 

 Endlicher (loc. tit.) states that the Norfolk Island plant is hermaphrodite, 

 with very rare male flowers among the others, but this is not so, for though 

 the female flowers do contain stamens, these are non-fertile. On other 

 specimens male flowers may be found without any trace of an ovary. The 

 plant is really dioecious, as in New Zealand ; indeed, the flowers of both 

 species agree well in all respects. 



A difference, however, of a still more important type than those already 

 mentioned has yet to be recorded. As is well known, the New Zealand 

 plant goes through a juvenile stage which is very different from the mature 

 form. There is no trace of any such juvenile stage in the Norfolk Island 

 plant. This is an important and most interesting fact, and should be 

 compared with the similar facts known regarding the Chatham Island 

 Plagianthus betuUnus and Pseudopanax chathamicum.'f In the case of 

 Plagianthus betuUnus, Cheeseman (p. 77) does not consider the absence of 

 the juvenile form a sufficient difference for the demarcation of a species ; 

 but it seems to me that it should be considered of at least varietal import- 

 ance, and here I have regarded it, together with the other points mentioned, 

 as justification for differentiating a species. 



POLYGONACEAE. 



96. Muehlenbeckia australis (A. Rich.) Meissn.. M. 92. (= Polygonum 



australe A. Rich., E. 86.) 



Common in the forest, and apparently identical with the New Zealand 

 form. Phillip Island (A. Cunn.). 

 New Zealand. 



Rumex Brownii Campd., M. 91, also occurs on the island, but obviously 

 as an introduced weed. 



Amarantaceae. 



97. Achyranthes arborescens R. Br., M. 89, E. 89. 



Mount Pitt. 

 Endemic. 



98. Achyranthes aspera L., M. 90. {—A. canescens R. Br., E. 90.) 



Cliffs, chiefly costal. 



Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Australia, and generally in warm countries. 



The plant varies a good deal in the colour and hispidity of the leaf and 

 stem. 



Alternanthera sessilis R. Br. also occurs on the island (W. Laing!), but 

 is probably an introduced weed. 



f Vide Cockayne, " An Inquiry into the Seedling Forma of New Zealand Phanero- 

 gams," T.N.Z.I., vol. 23, p. 277 ; and vol. 32, p. 89. 



