Kirk. — On some Sjjecies of Carex. 451 



Cheeseman, in his " Eevisiou of the New Zealand Carices," 

 pubhshed in 1883," stated that C. chlorantha had become ex- 

 tinct in the vicinity of Auckland, which was not correct so far 

 as the plant in question was concerned. On visiting Auckland 

 in October, 1886, I made special search for the Carex, and, 

 after some little difficulty, succeeded in finding it growing in 

 the greatest luxuriance, but restricted to a comparatively 

 small space on the lower part of the cliff. The coast-line had 

 been greatly altered during the ten or twelve years that had 

 elapsed since the plant was last seen by me, and the flat on 

 which it grew in such abundance had been completely swept 

 away, so that the base of the cliff was washed by the waves ; 

 but the plant still existed in considerable quantity. It had, 

 however, changed its habit : instead of forming a compact turf 

 with culms less than a foot in height, it formed loose open 

 tufts with long slender nodding culms, some of which were 

 over 2ft. Gin. high ; the leaves were longer and narro\ver, the 

 heads smaller. Tliere was no difficulty in identifying it with 

 C. dlvim, Huds., and it was interesting to find the plant occu- 

 pying a littoral situation similar to those which it chiefly 

 affects in the eastern and southern counties of England. I 

 subjoin a description to assist local workers in the event of its 

 being found in other localities in the colony. 



Carex divisa, Huds., Fl. Aug., 348, ed. i. B.B., 1096. 



A slender tufted species, w-ith stout, slightly-creeping root- 

 stock. Culms l^ft.-2-i-ft. high. Leaves equalling or shorter 

 than the culms, narrov;, flexuous, involute. Spikelets nume- 

 rous, bracteolate, forming a more or less compact head about 

 lin. long; male flowers at tlie top; glumes ovate, acuminate, 

 perij?y>iia plano-convex, almost orbicular, veined, with a 

 minute bifid serrulate beak. 



The bracts are filiform or setaceous, but the lowest never 

 overtops the spike, as is commonly the case with English 

 specimens. 



Distributed through Europe, North and South Africa, 

 West Siberia, North-west India, Chih, &c. 



There is greater probability of this species proving indige- 

 nous in the colony than either of the preceding, but further 

 evidence is required. If introduced it nuist have been in the 

 early days of settlement, to allow time for it to overcome the 

 native vegetation so completely as to form a compact sward, 

 and in that case it would bo difficult to explain why it had not 

 become more widely diffused in the Waitemata and elsewliere, 

 as its utricles are produced in great abundance. 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xvi., p. 442. 



