Petkie. — Note on Guunera ovata. 423 



foreign to my species, the drupes of which are hard and ahiiost 

 stony, with no fleshy exocarp or covering of any kind. Before 

 pubhshing my species I had specimens of it compared, through 

 the kindness of Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer, C.M.G., director of 

 the Eoyal Gardens at Kew, with the types of the New Zea- 

 land species preserved in the Kew Herbarium. My plant 

 was reported as new and distinct, a.nd was accordingly pub- 

 lished in 1891. It was because the species of (Junnera 

 are so imperfectly known and so poorly described in the 

 floras hitherto published that I had this comparison made, 

 and I attached, and still attach, great importance to its 

 results. 



As Giinncra flavida, Colenso, was evidently in many re- 

 spects like my species, I again consulted Mr. Thiselton Dyer, 

 who had my specimens carefully compared with Colenso's 

 type of G. flavida deposited at Kew, with the result that the 

 species were considered distinct, and that Colenso's species 

 was pronounced identical with G. i^rorepens, Hook f. I en- 

 tertain no doubt that this view of Colenso's species is correct, 

 and it explains what is othervrise inexplicable, hovv he de- 

 scribed the drupes as fleshy, for that is the character of the 

 drupes in G. i^rorcpcns. 



Mr. Kirk ignores the fact that Mr. Colenso described his 

 plant as having "fleshy drupes," and he altogether omits this 

 most important differential character from his amended de- 

 scription of Mr. Colenso's species. It is evident that Mr. 

 Colenso described and sent to Kew one plant, and some years 

 later forwarded a different one to Mr. Kirk ; and there seems 

 to be no doubt that the latter is identical with my G. ovata. 

 That the original plants of G. flavida, Colenso, had "fleshy 

 drupes " is proved by the author's own words; and the proof 

 is confirmed by the fact that his type plant is referred at Kew 

 to G. prorci^cns, Hook, f., a species which also has fleshy 

 drupes. The constant absence of this character in my species 

 securely establishes its independence. 



In these circumstances, I must claim that the identifica- 

 tion of my G. ovata with Mr. Colenso's G. flavida is devoid 

 of warrant, and that my plant is quite distinct from the 

 latter, which is no doubt identical with G. prorepens, 

 Hook. f. 



Though Mr. Kirk has not seen the ample series of flower- 

 ing and fruiting specimens I had before me when the descrip- 

 tion of G. ovata w^as drawn up, he implies that I had no 

 specimens showing both leaves and fruit. In this he is mis- 

 taken, as I had numerous specimens of this kind, and the 

 description of the leaves, flowers, and fruit as given in my 

 character of the species is strictly correct. The typical speci- 

 mens w^ere gathered in the neighbourhood of the Hindon 



